Is there any relationship between Na-H antiport activity and plasma lipids?

Na-H antiport is closely related to cytoskeleton and involved in cell physiopathology. Membrane lipid composition and fluidity may influence ionic transport. We checked the relation between exchange activity and serum lipids in 33 healthy controls (35±9 y), 18 non-diabetic pregnant women (32±4 y), 42 patients (33±11y) with type 1 insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), 26 non diabetic normotensive siblings (30±7 y) and 39 parents (56±8 y) of type 1 diabetics, 30 hypertensives (55±9 y), and 20 uremic subjects (43±9 y) on regular hemodialysis. In healthy people, serum glucose (p<0.05), total cholesterol (p<0.001) and triglycerides (p<0.05) increased with age, while the exchange rate was unmodified. In pregnants, at 14, 24, 33 weeks, 2-hour OGTT glycaemia (p<0.01), serum total cholesterol and triglycerides (p<0.001) increased, while antiport was unaffected. IDDM patients had higher glycaemia (p<0.001) and normal plasma lipids, but higher Na-H antiport (p<0.05). Parents and siblings of IDDM people had raised antiport activity (p<0.05), but only relatives of microalbuminuric probands showed concurrent dyslipidemia: siblings had elevated serum triglycerides (p=0.01), parents higher serum cholesterol (p<0.05). Compared with matched controls, uremics had elevated systolic blood pressure (p<0.01), glycaemia (p<0.001), triglycerides (p<0.001) and Na-H exchange rate (p<0.05). Hypertensives had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p<0.001), serum triglycerides (p<0.05), the lowest HDL cholesterol concentration (p<0.001) with the highest antiport activity (p<0.001). While in healthy people by alone Na-H antiport activity correlated with no parameter, in the whole study population (grouped by age), Na-H exchange rate correlated with blood pressure (diastolic or mean) only, both in young (p<0.05) and in aged (p<0.001) subjects. Hence, Na-H antiport activity seems unaffected by circulating lipids both in healthy and disease conditions.