Structural and functional assessment of high-density lipoprotein heterogeneity
Dobiásová, M.; Frohlich, J.J.
Clinical Chemistry 40(8): 1554-1558
1994
ISSN/ISBN: 0009-9147 PMID: 8044996 Document Number: 428546
We studied the heterogeneity of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) in plasma of 110 subjects, using three different methods: (a) gradient gel electrophoresis (GGE); (b) electroimmunoassay, to measure the concentration of lipoprotein particles containing apoprotein (apo) AI but no apoAII (LP AI); and (c) cholesterol esterification rate (FER-HDL) in very-low- and low-density lipoprotein-depleted plasma. There were two study groups: patients with hypertension, whose plasma lipid profile was similar to their respective controls, and patients with hypoalphalipoproteinemia (hypoalpha), whose family members served as controls. Values for FER-HDL were significantly higher in both risk groups than in their respective controls. LP AI was significantly decreased only in the hypoalpha subjects. Generally, LP AI and FER-HDL were inversely related. LP AI correlated strongly with plasma HDL-cholesterol, apo AI, and LP AI/AII; FER-HDL correlated with those values inversely. LP AI, but not FER-HDL, correlated with HDL free cholesterol. On the other hand, FER-HDL correlated strongly with plasma concentrations of triglycerides and with the plasma ratio of total/HDL-cholesterol while LP AI did not. GGE determination of the composition of HDL subspecies showed that both FER-HDL and LP AI were significantly related to the content of HDL-2b particles: FERHDL inversely, LP AI directly; the relative amount of HDL-3b,c particles correlated only with FER-HDL. We conclude that GGE and FER-HDL can be used to quantify both the apparently protective (HDL-2b) and risk-associated (HDL-3b,c) particles, whereas the concentration of LP AI in plasma mainly reflects the concentration of the HDL-2 subpopulation.