Cachexia induction by EL-4 lymphoma in mice and possible involvement of impaired lipoprotein lipase activity

Several lines of evidence have postulated that reduction in the activity of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is involved in cachexia induction in cancel patie nts. Recently we have demonstrated that murine melanoma B16 has the ability to reduce the LPL activity and thereby induce cachexia symptoms in mice fo llowing intraperitoneal inoculation. In order to further investigate the re lationship between LPL activity and cachectic syndrome, cachexia models oth er than melanoma B16 are required. However, there ale few animal cachexia m odels in which LPL activity is involved in the induction of cachectic sympt oms. In this study, cachectic symptoms and plasma LPL activity were investi gated in mice bearing EL-4 mouse lymphoma. In EL-4 bearing mice the body we ight including tremor weighs in the abdominal cavity was rather higher than that of normal mice without tumor whereas weights of carcass wet and gastr ocnemius muscle wee significantly decreased in EL-4 bearing mice. Elevated blood levels of triglyceride and nonesterified fatty acid were observed in mice bearing EL-4, associated with the impaired plasma LPL activity. Overal l, this study indicated that EL-4 lymphoma in mice results in a severe cach exia which is possibly related to impaired LPL activity and also provided a useful cachexia model for understanding the role of LPL in the development of cancer cachexia.