Altered insulin and glucagon secretion in treated genetic hyperlipemia: A mechanism of therapy?

The influence of Halofenate therapy on insulin and glucagon secretion was examined in the Zucker rat with genetic endogenous hyperlipemia. Coincident with the lipid lowering effects of Halofenate, the net change in the basal bihormonal axis favored glucagon, with the I/G molar ratio (Insulin/Glucagon) decreasing from 2.72 +/- 0.53 to 0.96 +/- 0.20 during treatment with this drug. Following arginine stimulation the I/G ratio remained reduced at 0.87 +/- 0.13 in Halofenate treated animals, contrasting with the statistically greater ratio of 2.5 +/- 0.55 in control animals. The Halofenate induced state of reduced insulin:glucagon was associated with hypolipemia, postarginine hyperglycemia, and hyperketonemia,-three metabolic parameters characteristic of glucagon excess relative to insulin. It is suggested that the lipid-lowering action of Halofenate in genetic hyperlipemia may reflect the altered bihormonal axis induced by the drug.