Abnormalities in cholesteryl ester transfers may play a role in the development of atherosclerosis observed in patients with end-stage renal failure treated by chronic hemodialysis. Net neutral-lipid transfers and cholesteryl ester transfer protein activity and mass were investigated in 20 hemodialyzed patients, arbitrarily divided into two groups based on fasting triglyceride levels, and compared to triglyceride-matched control groups. In the hypertriglyceridemic subjects (plasma triglyceride values > 150 mg/dl), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was decreased, and the net cholesteryl ester transfer rates were significantly higher than the rates in normolipidemic subjects. The comparison of subjects matched for plasma triglyceride and cholesterol levels showed no significant difference in cholesteryl ester or triglyceride transfer rates between patients and controls. Our results suggest that normal or elevated net neutral-lipid transfers are not related to the renal status of the subjects, but rather to their plasma triglyceride levels.

Lp(a) from HD patients is characterized by an elevated content in TH and apo Cl11 in comparison with those of controls. Further studies are needed to evaluate in HD patients the contribution of changes in Lp(a) composition towards the metabolism of these particles.

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