ACCELERATED CHOLESTERYL ESTER TRANSFER IN BABOONS WITH INSULIN-REQUIRING DIABETES-MELLITUS

Cholesteryl ester transfer (GET), plasma, lipoprotein lipid and phosph olipid composition were studied in insulin-treated baboons with chroni c streptozotocin-induced diabetes. In these diabetic animals, CET meas ured both as the mass (p < 0.001) and isotopic transfer (p < 0.05) of CE from HDL to the apo B-containing lipoproteins (VLDL + LDL) were sig nificantly accelerated compared to controls and the response closely r esembled that recently reported in diabetic humans. No significant dif ferences were present in plasma triglyceride, cholesterol, or HDL-C or in lipoprotein core or surface lipid composition. Thus, despite the f act th at they did not display the same spectrum of abnormalities in l ipoprotein composition, these insulin-treated diabetic baboons demonst rated an abnormality in CET identical to that described in humans. The se findings suggest that this nonhuman primate may provide a suitable diabetic animal model in which to better characterize the mechanisms t hat underlie this potentially atherogenic disturbance in lipoprotein t ransport.