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HDL Lipids and Insulin Resistance

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Abstract

There is renewed interest in high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) due to recent findings linking atherosclerosis to the formation of dysfunctional HDL. This article focuses on the universe of HDL lipids and their potential protective or proinflammatory roles in vascular disease and insulin resistance. HDL carries a wide array of lipids including sterols, triglycerides, fat-soluble vitamins, and a large number of phospholipids, including phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, and ceramide with many biological functions. Ceramide has been implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and has many proinflammatory properties. In contrast, sphingosine-1-phosphate, which is transported mainly in HDL, has anti-inflammatory properties that may be atheroprotective and may account for some of the beneficial effects of HDL. However, the complexity of the HDL lipidome is only beginning to reveal itself. The emergence of new analytical technologies should rapidly increase our understanding of the function of HDL lipids and their role in disease states.

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Disclosure

Dr. Andrew Hoofnagle was supported by a Pilot and Feasibility Award from the University of Washington Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center (National Institutes of Health [NIH] P30 DK017047). Dr. Tomas Vaisar was supported by a Scientist Development Grant Award from the American Heart Association (0830231N), and he was also supported by a Pilot and Feasibility Award from the University of Washington Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (NIH 5P30 DK035816), which also provided other support (to Dr. Hoofnagle and to Dr. Alan Chait). No other potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Mailstop 358055, 815 Mercer Street, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA

    Andrew N. Hoofnagle

  2. Department of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Nutrition, University of Washington School of Medicine, Mailstop 358055, 815 Mercer Street, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA

    Tomas Vaisar, Poulami Mitra & Alan Chait

  3. Diabetes and Obesity Center of Excellence, University of Washington School of Medicine, Mailstop 358055, 815 Mercer Street, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA

    Andrew N. Hoofnagle, Tomas Vaisar, Poulami Mitra & Alan Chait

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  1. Andrew N. Hoofnagle
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Correspondence to Alan Chait.

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Hoofnagle, A.N., Vaisar, T., Mitra, P. et al. HDL Lipids and Insulin Resistance. Curr Diab Rep 10, 78–86 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-009-0085-7

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