Phenotype of apolipoprotein E influences the lipid metabolic response of postmenopausal women to hormone replacement therapy

• Published in: Maturitas Vol. 38; no. 3; pp. 297 - 304
• Main Authors: Tsuda, Mikio, Sanada, Mitsuhiro, Nakagawa, Hitoshi, Kodama, Ichiro, Sakashita, Tomohisa, Ohama, Koso
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 30.05.2001; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Apolipoprotein E; Apolipoproteins E - blood; Apolipoproteins E - genetics; Asian Continental Ancestry Group - genetics; Biological and medical sciences; Cholesterol, LDL - blood; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) - therapeutic use; Female; Hormone Replacement Therapy; Hormones. Endocrine system; Humans; Hypercholesterolemia - genetics; Hypercholesterolemia - prevention & control; Japan; Low density lipoprotein; Medical sciences; Medroxyprogesterone Acetate - therapeutic use; Middle Aged; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Phenotype; Postmenopausal women; Postmenopause; Prospective Studies; Japan; Phenotype; Hormone replacement therapy; Postmenopausal women; Apolipoprotein E; Low density lipoprotein; Human; Replacement therapy; Cholesterolemia; Menopause; Estrogen; Cholesterol LDL; Apolipoprotein; Progestagen; Chemotherapy; Cholesterol HDL; Postmenopause; Female; Sex steroid hormone; Triglyceridemia
• ISSN: 0378-5122; 1873-4111
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-5122(01)00171-2

Objectives: We investigated whether the phenotype of apolipoprotein E (apo E) would influence the response of postmenopausal Japanese women to hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Methods: We measured the plasma levels of lipoprotein and apolipoprotein in 242 postmenopausal women at baseline and again after 12 months of HRT. Patients were divided into three groups according to apo E phenotype: E2+ (E2/2 and E2/3, n=21), E3/3 ( n=176), E4+ (E3/4 and E4/4, n=45). Results: We found that the E4+ group had the highest levels of total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and apolipoprotein B, being significantly higher than in the E2+ group at baseline. The plasma levels of total and LDL cholesterol showed a significant decrease only in the E2+ and E3/3 groups after 12 months of HRT (E2+ group, total cholesterol −8.9% and LDL cholesterol −21.5%; E3/3 group, total cholesterol −2.9% and LDL cholesterol −9.5%). No significant difference in the reduction of total and LDL cholesterol was found in the E4+ group. Other lipid parameters did not differ in the three groups. Conclusions: These data show that the apo E phenotype influenced the response of lipid metabolism in postmenopausal women to HRT, especially in the reduction of LDL cholesterol. Therefore, apo E phenotyping may be important in predicting the cholesterol-lowering effect of HRT.