Mechanisms
Diabetic cynomolgus monkeys show accelerated cholesteryl ester transfer, mirroring human diabetic dyslipidaemia (J Lipid Res 1995)
Original title: Accelerated cholesteryl ester transfer and altered lipoprotein composition in diabetic cynomolgus monkeys
Cynomolgus monkeys with chronic spontaneous diabetes mellitus (glycated hemoglobin 10.7 plus or minus 4.1% versus 3.8 plus or minus 0.8% in controls, P less than 0.005) were compared with nondiabetic controls to test whether nonhuman primates reproduce the cholesteryl ester transport abnormalities seen in diabetic humans. Only triglycerides were significantly elevated among plasma lipids in diabetic monkeys (303 plus or minus 294 versus 85 plus or minus 34 mg/dl, P less than 0.05), with no significant differences in total, LDL, HDL2, or HDL3 cholesterol. Cholesteryl ester transfer, measured both as mass transferred from HDL to apoB-containing lipoproteins and as loss of radiolabeled cholesteryl ester from HDL, was significantly greater in diabetic monkeys (P less than 0.001) and correlated directly with glycated hemoglobin (r equals 0.75 for mass transfer, r equals 0.64 for isotopic transfer, both P less than 0.005), while CETP mass showed only a nonsignificant trend toward higher levels in diabetics (4.06 plus or minus 0.73 versus 3.05 plus or minus 0.93 microgram/ml, P less than 0.1).
Original abstract
To determine whether nonhuman primates demonstrate the same alterations in transport of cholesteryl ester (CE) in plasma observed in diabetic humans, cholesteryl ester transfer (CET) was measured in cynomolgus monkeys with chronic spontaneous diabetes mellitus (glycated hemoglobin: diabetics 10.7 +/- 4.1%; controls 3.8 +/- 0.8%, P < 0.005). Among the plasma lipids, only triglycerides were significantly increased in diabetic monkeys (diabetics 303 +/- 294 mg/dl; controls 85 +/- 34 mg/dl; P < 0.05); total plasma, LDL, HDL2, and HDL3 cholesterol concentrations did not differ significantly from those of control animals. Similar to human beings with insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, CET estimated both as the mass of cholesteryl ester transferred from HDL to the apoB-containing lipoproteins (VLDL + LDL) and as the loss of radiolabeled cholesteryl ester from HDL was significantly greater (P < 0.001) in diabetic compared to control monkeys. Glycated hemoglobin levels in the combined control and diabetic groups correlated directly with both the mass of cholesteryl ester transferred at 2 h (r = 0.75; P < 0.001) and the isotopic transfer (k) (r = 0.64; P < 0.005). The mass of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) tended to be higher in the diabetic animals (diabetic 4.06 +/- 0.73 microgram/ml versus control 3.05 +/- 0.93; P < 0.1).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Summary written by cetpinhibition.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 18 August 2026. Methods.