Small, dense, electronegative low density lipoprotein [LDL(2)] is increased in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia and diabetes, populations at increased risk for coronary artery disease. It is present to a lesser extent in normolipidemic subjects. The mechanistic link between small, dense LDL(2) and atherogenesis is not known. To begin to address this, we studied the composition and dynamics of small, dense LDL(2) from normolipidemic subjects. NEFA levels, which correlate with triglyceride content, are quantitatively linked to LDL electronegativity. Oxidized LDL is not specific to small, dense LDL(2) or lipoprotein [a] (i.e., abnormal lipoprotein). Apolipoprotein C-III is excluded from the most abundant LDL (i.e., that of intermediate density: 1.034 , d , 1.050 g/ml) but associated with both small and large LDL(2). In contrast, lipoproteinassociated phospholipase A 2 (LpPLA 2 ) is highly enriched only in small, dense LDL(2). The association of LpPLA 2 with LDL may occur through amphipathic helical domains that are displaced from the LDL surface by contraction of the neutral lipid core.-Gaubatz, J. W., B. K. Gillard, J. B. Massey, R. C. Hoogeveen, M. Huang, E. E. Lloyd, J. L. Raya, C-y. Yang, and H. J. Pownall. Dynamics of dense electronegative low density lipoproteins and their preferential association with lipoprotein phospholipase A 2 . J. Lipid Res. 2007. 48: 348-357.
Supplementary key words atherogenesis & fatty acid & apo B-100Although low density lipoprotein-cholesterol is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, an expanding body of evidence suggests that one or more minor LDL subfractions serve as the atherogenic agent. One hypothesis is that LDL enters the arterial wall, where its lipids are oxidatively modified, thereby initiating a series of biochemical processes that culminate in lesion formation (1). Nonetheless, modified LDL present in the circulation also has atherogenic properties (2), as indicated by the correlation of atherosclerosis with levels of oxidized plasma LDL (3-5). Plasma contains several forms of modified LDL, including heterogeneously oxidized LDL (6), glycated LDL from diabetic subjects (7), and desialylated LDL (8). Importantly, plasma from both normal and dyslipidemic patients contains electronegative low density lipoprotein [LDL(2)] (9); however, there have been few comprehensive studies of LDL(2) in normolipidemic subjects.Plasma LDL(2) is increased in subjects at high risk for cardiovascular disease as a result of hypercholesterolemia (10-12), hypertriglyceridemia (11, 13), diabetes (14-17), or coronary artery disease (18). Simvastatin therapy reduces the proportion of LDL(2) without modifying its oxidizability (12). Relative to normal LDL, LDL(2) has 1) lower vitamin E content; 2) increased lipid peroxidation, as assessed by thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and conjugated dienes; 3) more highly aggregated apolipoprotein B (apoB); 4) reduced affinity for the LDL receptor; 5) greater density and is more readily oxidized; and 6) higher lipoperoxide c...