[Changes in HDL subfractions in patients with type I diabetes mellitus before and after metabolic control]. / Modificazioni delle subfrazioni delle HDL nei pazienti con diabete mellito di tipo I prima e dopo compenso metabolico.

ABSTRACT

In order to further investigate the behaviour of high density lipoproteins in diabetes mellitus, we studied HDL subclasses, HDL2 and HDL3, in 10 patients with newly detected, untreated insulin-deficient diabetes before starting insulin treatment and after getting a good metabolic control. We used the extractive method of Abell to determine HDL-cholesterol after LDL and VLDL precipitation with polyanions and HDL3-cholesterol after HDL2 precipitation with dextransulphate 15,000 m.w. After insulin therapy, we observed a significant increase in HDL-cholesterol and a decrease in serum triglycerides. Only HDL2-cholesterol, but not HDL3-cholesterol, raised; moreover, we found a significant inverse relationship between HDL-cholesterol (and also HDL2-cholesterol) and triglycerides. So, we think that an increase of lipoprotein lipase activity, owing to insulin treatment, could account for our results.