Symposium Drugs Effecting Cholesterol Disposition

TLDR: It is found that overproduction of lipoproteins occurs in many different forms of hyperlipidemia, and it may be an underlying defect in these several types.

Abstract: Levels of plasma lipoproteins are regulated by the balance between their production and clearance. Although great attention has been paid to mechanisms for clearance of lipoproteins from plasma, work on factors regulating the production of lipoproteins has been limited. In recents Years, however, our laboratory has become interested in the role of lipoprotein production in the regulation of their levels. This work has been concerned with two major moieties of the plasma lipoproteins, namely, triglycerides and apolipoprotein B (apo B). Triglycerides (TG) are the major lipid constituent of very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), and apo B is the major apoprotein of both VLDL and low density lipoproteins (LDL). Our findings suggest that overproduction of these constituents is an important factor in the development of hyperlipoproteinemia. Of particular interest, we have found that overproduction of lipoproteins occurs in many different forms of hyperlipidemia, and it may be an underlying defect in these several types. The following discussion will consider the spectrum of disorders associated with overproduction of lipoproteins.