Effects of hormones, fasting and diabetes on triglyceride lipase activities in rat heart and liver

Male rats were fasted for 3 days, subjected to streptozotocin-diabetes or injected with L-thyroxine, Kenacort-A40 (corticosteroid) and Synacthen (ACTH). Cardiac heparin-releasable lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity was increased after fasting, experimental diabetes and all hormone treatments. Cardiac neutral lipase activity was decreased during diabetes and enhanced in the fasted state and by L-thyroxine, corticosteroid and ACTH administration. The close correlation between vascular LPL and tissue neutral lipase with cardiac triglyceride content is in agreement with the contention that tissue neutral lipase is similar to LPL (Hülsmann, Stam and Breeman 1982). Myocardial acid lipase activity was reduced during diabetes and L-thyroxine treatment, increased during fasting and corticosteroid administration and not affected by short-term ACTH treatment. Hepatic acid lipase activity was increased during fasting, diabetes and by L-thyroxine and reduced after corticosteroid and ACTH treatment. The alkaline liver lipase activity was depressed by fasting, experimental diabetes, corticosteroid and ACTH treatment, whereas L-thyroxine induced a slight increase in enzyme activity. The possible mechanism underlying the observed changes in acid, neutral, alkaline, and LPL activities in heart and liver are discussed.