Apolipoprotein C3 deficiency results in diet-induced obesity and aggravated insulin resistance in mice

Our aim was to study whether the absence of apoli-poprotein (apo) C3, a strong inhibitor of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), accelerates the development of obesity and consequently insulin resistance. Apoc3/ mice and wild-type littermates were fed a high-fat (46 energy %) diet for 20 weeks. After 20 weeks of high-fat feeding, apoc3/ mice showed decreased plasma triglyceride levels (0.11 0.02 vs. 0.29 0.04 mmol, P < 0.05) and were more obese (42.8 3.2 vs. 35.2 3.3 g; P < 0.05) compared with wild-type littermates. This increase in body weight was entirely explained by increased body lipid mass (16.2 5.9 vs. 10.0 1.8 g; P < 0.05). LPL-dependent uptake of triglyceride-derived fatty ac-ids by adipose tissue was significantly higher in apoc3/ mice. LPL-independent uptake of albumin