Plasma concentrations of apolipoprotein A‐I containing particles in normolipidaemic young men

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Abstract
Low levels of plasma high‐density lipoprotein (HDL)‐cholesterol and apolipoprotein (apo)‐A‐I are associated with premature coronary heart disease. However, particles in the density range of HDL are heterogeneous. Two main types of apo A‐I‐containing particles can be identified, one species containing both apo A‐I and apo A‐II (Lp A‐I: A‐II) and the other apo A‐I but no apo‐A‐II (Lp A‐I). This study was designed to measure HDL cholesterol, apo A‐I, and, using a new procedure, Lp A‐I in 233 healthy normolipidaemic young men (cholesterol < 250 mg dl–1 and triglycerides < 200 mg dl–1). Among these subjects, the composition of HDL was very variable as indicated by the 10th and the 90th percentiles of the HDL‐cholesterol/apo A‐I ratios which were 0.32 and 0.49, respectively. The 10th and 90th percentiles of apo A‐I and Lp A‐I: A‐II were 126 and 167 mg dl –1 and 83 and 116 mg dl–1, respectively. On the other hand, Lp A‐I showed a much larger variation, the 10th and 90th percentiles being at 33 and 62 mg dl–1, respectively. The distribution of individual values of Lp A‐I showed that this fraction of apo A‐I‐containing particles was very variable among subjects, the Lp A‐I/apo A‐I ratio extending from 0.18 to 0.58. Triglycerides, Lp A‐I and Lp A‐I:A‐II were correlated with HDL cholesterol, but no correlation between apo A‐I containing sub‐fractions and plasma triglycerides was noticed. Since preliminary results from angiographic and clinical studies show that Lp A‐I could exert a protective role for atherosclerosis, it would seem that the measurement of Lp A‐I might help in the future to characterize better the individual's risk for atherosclerosis.

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