Journal of Lipid Research, Vol 33, 333-342, Copyright © 1992 by Lipid Research, Inc.
Abnormalities of low density lipoproteins in normolipidemic type II diabetic and nondiabetic patients with coronary artery disease
M Tilly-Kiesi, M Syvanne, T Kuusi, S Lahdenpera and MR Taskinen
First Department of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland.
The characteristics of low density lipoproteins (LDL) of ten non-
insulin-dependent diabetic (NIDDM) and ten nondiabetic patients with
coronary artery disease (CAD) were investigated and compared to LDL of ten
NIDDM patients without CAD and ten healthy persons. All subjects had LDL
cholesterol below 160 mg/dl and serum triglycerides below 200 mg/dl. The
mean LDL particle size and particle distribution profiles were analyzed by
using nondenaturing polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis. The LDL
composition and hydrated density distribution were investigated by using
density gradient ultracentrifugation. Both NIDDM and nondiabetic CAD
patients tended to have larger LDL particles than NIDDM patients without
CAD and healthy subjects. The increase of LDL particle size of CAD patients
was due to marked enrichment of triglycerides (TG) in their LDL. The
percentage content of TG in LDL of NIDDM patients with CAD was 14.5% and in
LDL of nondiabetic CAD patients 13.4% compared with 7.9% in LDL of NIDDM
patients without CAD and 7.2% in normal-LDL (P less than 0.05 or less
between either CAD group and NIDDM without CAD or normals). The LDL
TG/apolipoprotein (apo) B weight ratio was significantly higher in both CAD
groups compared with LDL of the two groups without CAD (0.70 and 0.68 vs.
0.38 and 0.34, respectively, P less than 0.05, P less than 0.05 and P less
than 0.01, P less than 0.01). The LDL total lipid to apoB weight ratio was
similar in all four groups. Consistent with this, the hydrated density
distributions of LDL in the four groups were similar, the average peak
densities being 1.0346 g/ml, 1.0331 g/ml, 1.0331 g/ml, and 1.0331 g/ml,
respectively. The findings of this study demonstrate that normolipidemic
patients with CAD may have marked abnormalities in th eir LDL composition
and these anomalies are present in both diabetic and nondiabetic patients.