Effects of
estrogens and the synthetic
anabolic-androgenic steroid,
Oxandrolone, on extrahepatic (
protamine inactivated) and hepatic (
protamine resistant) lipases in postheparin plasma, were assessed in 15 subjects with
familial hypertriglyceridemia. In six women receiving
conjugated equine estrogen (1.25 mg/day), mean (+/- SE) postheparin protemine inactivated
triglyceride lipase (PI-TGL) was depressed to 0.23 +/- 0.10 mumol FFA/ml/hr, and
protamine resistant
lipase was depressed to 5.3 +/- 0.5 mumol FFA/ml/hr. In the 2-wk period after
estrogens were discontinued, PI-TGL remained depressed, 0.54 +/- 0.24, while PR-TGL increased to 7.3 +/- 0.88, p=less than 0.05. Mean
triglycerides fell insignificantly from 628 +/- 136 to 447 +/- 44 mg/100 ml when
estrogens were discontinued. There was no significant correlation between changes in PR-TGL and
triglycerides when
estrogens were stopped. In four women with
familial hypertriglyceridemia,
Oxandrolone significantly increased PR-TGL in two, increased PI-TGL in three, and reduced
triglycerides in two. In five men with
familial hypertriglyceridemia,
Oxandrolone reduced
triglycerides in four, increased PR-TGL in four, but had no effect on PI-TGL. For the nine hypertriglyceridemic subjects increments in PR-TGL failed to correlate significantly with decrements in
triglyceride, (r=0.309, p is greater than 0.1). Selective alteration of PR-TGL and PI-TGL by
estrogens and
Oxandrolone may provide an approach to better understanding of the interaction of lipases and
triglycerides in familial and acquired
hypertriglyceridemia.