Unidad de Lípidos (C.G., M.B., B.C., E.V. M.D.O.), Servicio de Bioquímica (C.H.), Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Address correspondence to: Carmen Garces, M.D., Unidad de Lpidos, Fundacion Jimenez Diaz, Avida Reyes Catolicos, 2, Madrid, 28040, Spain. E-mail: cgarces{at}fjd.es
Abstract
Gender differences in the apolipoprotein (apo) E genotype effect on
plasma lipid levels reported in adults have also been found in
pre-pubertal children. In adults, the difference seems to be due to the
influence of sexual hormones. The reason why this difference exits
between pre-pubertal girls and boys, for whom those sexual hormones are
not different, is unclear. However, there is an important difference in
Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) levels between pre-pubertal
boys and girls. To evaluate the influence of DHEA-S on apo E genetic
determinants of plasma lipids levels in pre-pubertal children we
measured plasma DHEA-S in 1045 healthy children (534 males and 511
females) 6 to 8 years old in which a different apoE influence on lipid
levels had been reported between girls and boys. Our observations
demonstrate that the extent of the lipid increasing or decreasing
effects associated with each allele were modulated by DHEA-S. DHEA-S
increases the hypolipemic effect of the 2 allele and decreases the
hyperlipemic effect of the
4 allele. In conclusion, the interaction
of apo E genotype and DHEA-S may represent a critical determinant of
TC, LDL-C and apo B levels in children at the prepuberal age.
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