Transient hyperlipidemia during treatment of ALL with L-asparaginase is related to decreased lipoprotein lipase activity

Leukemia. 1997 Aug;11(8):1377-9. doi: 10.1038/sj.leu.2400703.

Abstract

A 13-year-old girl with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) developed extremely high plasma triglyceride (TG) concentrations of 103 mmol/l (reference value <1.8 mmol/l) during combination treatment with corticosteroids and asparaginase. Corticosteroids are known to induce the production of TG-rich particles. On the other hand, corticosteroids increase the activity of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), a key enzyme in the removal of TG from plasma. Generally, the increased LPL activity prevents an extreme rise in TG levels upon therapy with corticosteroids. In our patient, we found that the corticosteroid-induced LPL activity dramatically declined after therapy with L-asparaginase. This suggests that the extensive hypertriglyceridemia in our patient was due to an L-asparaginase-induced decrease in LPL activity. This hypothesis was further supported by the finding that hypertriglyceridemia was less severe when corticosteroids and asparaginase were given separately.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Letter

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Asparaginase / adverse effects*
  • Asparaginase / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hyperlipidemias / chemically induced*
  • Lipoprotein Lipase / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Lipoprotein Lipase / blood*
  • Male
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / drug therapy*
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / genetics
  • Triglycerides / metabolism

Substances

  • Triglycerides
  • Lipoprotein Lipase
  • Asparaginase