Accumulation of TG-rich VLDL particles in SLE may be caused by reduced VLDL catabolism by impaired lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity, as shown previously in SLE by in vitro lipolysis assays and shown to be induced by TNF, IL-1 and IFN-gamma, cytokines that are characteristically high in SLE, leading to both high VLDL-TG and low HDL levels [40, 41]. Here, TNF is linked to systemic lupus erythematosus.