HDL biology
Interferon alpha treatment for hepatitis C lowers CETP activity and mass alongside lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase (Hepatology 1997)
Original title: Interferon alpha induces disorder of lipid metabolism by lowering postheparin lipases and cholesteryl ester transfer protein activities in patients with chronic hepatitis C
Thirty-nine patients with chronic viral hepatitis C received recombinant interferon alpha 2a for up to 6 months, with serum lipoprotein metabolism and lipase and transfer protein activities assessed throughout. Serum cholesterol fell significantly within one week, roughly 67% attributable to reduced HDL cholesterol, while triglycerides, largely VLDL-derived, rose significantly. Postheparin lipoprotein lipase and hepatic triglyceride lipase activities fell by 75.7% and 79.4% respectively, and plasma CETP activity and protein mass both decreased, even as improved prothrombin time suggested these reductions were not simply due to reduced hepatic protein synthesis. Changes in lipoprotein lipase activity correlated negatively with changes in triglyceride and VLDL-triglyceride and positively with changes in HDL and HDL2 cholesterol, pointing to reduced lipoprotein lipase activity as a major contributor to the lipoprotein disorder, alongside the observed decreases in CETP and hepatic lipase.
Original abstract
The effect of recombinant interferon alpha 2a (rIFN-alpha2a) on serum lipoprotein metabolism was assessed in 39 patients with chronic viral hepatitis C. rIFN-alpha2a was administered intramuscularly at a dose of 9 x 10(6) U/d for 2 weeks and then for 3 times a week over 6 months. The serum cholesterol concentration significantly decreased one week after rIFN-alpha2a administration. Approximately 67% of this decrease was attributed to the reduction of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol; a decrease in HDL2-cholesterol was more evident. By contrast, serum triglyceride levels, largely derived from very-low density lipoprotein (VLDL), significantly increased following rIFN-alpha2a treatment. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and hepatic triglyceride lipase (HTGL) activities in the postheparin plasma were reduced by 75.7% and by 79.4%, respectively, and decreases in plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) activity and its protein mass were also observed. However, prothrombin time was ameliorated by rIFN-alpha2a, suggesting that the decrease in LPL, HTGL, and CETP activities may not be due to a reduction in protein synthesis by the liver. Simple correlation analysis demonstrated that the changes in LPL activity before and after 2 weeks of treatment with rIFN-alpha2a showed a significant negative correlation with changes in serum triglyceride and VLDL-triglyceride and a positive correlation with changes in HDL-cholesterol and HDL2-cholesterol. These results suggest a major contribution of reduced LPL activity with regard to the lipoprotein disorders. In conclusion, rIFN-alpha2a treatment on patients with chronic hepatitis C causes marked changes in serum lipoprotein metabolism associated with decreases in LPL, HTGL, and CETP activities.
Summary written by cetpinhibition.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 19 August 2026. Methods.