The effect of dibutyryl cyclic AMP and theophylline on lipoprotein lipase secretion was investigated after a 24 h pretreatment of human monocyte-derived macrophages. Both the effectors decreased in a dose-dependent manner the enzyme activity recovered in the culture medium. The decrease in lipoprotein lipase activity appeared to be related to reduced enzyme synthesis without apparent modification of its stability and half-life and was conversely associated with an increase of lysosomal acid hydrolase activities. This effect was reversible on removal of the nucleotide. The present findings suggest that cyclic AMP may play a role in lipoprotein lipase expression in human macrophages and therefore may participate in the regulation of lipoprotein uptake by these cells, which are strongly implicated in the atherogenic process.
