The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine

Georgia Veterinary Scholar Program

Georgia Veterinary Scholar	Faculty Mentor

Daven Jackson Tuskegee University Class of 2004	Dr. Margarethe Hoenig

Lipoprotein lipase activity in lean and obese cats

Obese cats and people have an increased risk to develop diabetes mellitus. Several abnormalities have been associated with obesity which might be causative factors in its progression to diabetes. Hyperinsulinemia and glucose intolerance have long been thought to lead to beta cell exhaustion and diabetes. Recent evidence, however, also points to lipid abnormalities as playing a major role. Little is known about lipid metabolism in the cat. Previous work in our laboratory has shown that obese cats become resistant to the effect of insulin regarding glucose uptake into the cell, yet they seem to show normal or even increased sensitivity regarding lipid uptake. Uptake of fatty acids into cells is controlled by the enzyme lipoprotein lipase (LPL). It is our hypothesis that glucose and lipid uptake are regulated separately in the obese cat by insulin. This study seeks to answer the question if the activity of this enzyme is increased in obese cats. The student will study lean and obese cats in our cat colony. Blood will be taken after activation of the enzyme LPL with an intravenous injection of heparin. Plasma will be separated and frozen until the enzymatic assay for total (TL) and hepatic lipase (HL) activity will be performed by the student. The activity of LPL will be calculated as the difference between TL and HL. This study will help in the understanding of risk factor of diabetes mellitus in obesity, a major health problem not only in people but also in the cat. The student will not only gain laboratory experience but will also learn to manage a large colony of cats.