Associations of serum LDL particle concentration with carotid intima-media thickness and coronary artery calcification

Abstract

Background Low-density lipoprotein particle (LDL-P) has recently been found to be a stronger predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than LDL cholesterol (LDL-C). Objective Whether LDL-P is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis, independent of LDL-C, as well as other lipid measures has not been fully examined. We aimed to analyze LDL-P associations with measures of subclinical atherosclerosis. Methods We examined 870 Japanese men randomly selected from Kusatsu City, Shiga, Japan, aged 40–79 years from 2006–2008, free of clinical CVD and not using lipid-lowering medication. Cross-sectional associations of lipid measures with carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and coronary artery calcification (CAC) [>0 Agatston score] were examined. Results LDL-P was significantly positively associated with cIMT and maintained this association after adjustments for LDL-C and other lipid measures. While these lipid measures were positively associated with cIMT, model adjustment for LDL-P removed any significant relationships. Higher LDL-P was associated with a significantly higher odds ratio of CAC and further adjustment for LDL-C did not affect this relationship. In contrast, the LDL-C association with CAC was no longer significant after adjustment for LDL-P. Other lipid measures attenuated associations of LDL-P with CAC. Likewise, associations of these measures with CAC were attenuated when model adjustments for LDL-P were made. Conclusion In a community-based sample of Japanese men, free of clinical CVD, LDL-P was a robust marker for subclinical atherosclerosis, with the former being independent of LDL-C and other lipid measures. Associations of LDL-C and other lipid measures with either cIMT or CAC were generally not independent of LDL-P.

Circulating serum fatty acid synthase is elevated in patients with diabetes and carotid artery stenosis and is LDL-associated

“…Serum cholesterol and glucose correlate with the severity of atherosclerotic disease in patients with diabetes, and LDL is a known independent risk factor for CAS [24] and stroke [25]. We therefore evaluated the relationship between serum cFAS, glucose, and LDL.…”

Coronary Artery Calcium and Carotid Artery Intima Media Thickness and Plaque: Clinical Use in Need of Clarification

“…For example, cIMT/plaque have been recently shown to be associated with serum concentrations of HDL-particle and LDL-particle, independent of traditional lipid profiles and risk factors 59, 60) . The authors have suggested that the association of cIMT/plaque with lipid particles may reflect unknown but important roles of these particles related to atherosclerotic plaque formation beyond traditional lipid profiles (e.g., HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol).…”

Association of long-term PM2.5 exposure with traditional and novel lipid measures related to cardiovascular disease risk

“…However, LDL-C measures the cholesterol content of LDL particles rather than the total number of particles. Studies have suggested that LDL particles (LDL-P) concentrations—particularly small LDL-P subfractions— may be better markers of CVD risk than LDL-C per se , possibly because of the greater likelihood of smaller particles to enter the arterial wall and cause damage (Blake et al 2002; Ip et al 2009; Lamarche et al 1997; Zaid et al 2016). A few previous studies have assessed associations between PM 2.5 and standard lipid measures, including LDL-C (Chuang et al 2011; Jiang et al 2016; Yitshak Sade et al 2016); but very little is known about the association of PM 2.5 with lipoprotein particle size and concentration.…”