Plasma Lipoprotein Lipase after Subcutaneous Heparin

Abstract

Plasma lipoprotein lipase was measured at intervals after the subcutaneous injection of heparin in 34 men. This enzyme was significantly increased in plasma for as long as 24 hours after a 50-mg. dose. While the initial response was greater after a 200-mg. dose, the 24-hour lipoprotein lipase was similar for both 50 mg. and 200 mg. Plasma lipoprotein lipase produced after intravenous heparin was dissipated after 6 hours. The lipoprotein-lipase response at 16 and 24 hours after the subcutaneous injection of heparin was similar in men with coronary and cerebral atherosclerosis and in healthy men. Age did not affect plasma lipoprotein-lipase response. Patients who had received 50 mg. of heparin subcutaneously each day for an average time of 12 months did not have exhaustion of the lipoprotein-lipase response to a test dose of heparin. It is suggested that the daily administration of heparin is necessary to produce a continuous concentration of plasma lipoprotein lipase. A dose of 50 mg. (5,000 units) given subcutaneously produced a prolonged lipoprotein-lipase response and only a mild anticoagulant effect, unlikely to induce the complication of bleeding.