On the search for glycated lipoprotein ApoA-I in the plasma of diabetic and nephropathic patients

The analysis of plasma samples from healthy, diabetic and nephropathic subjects was carried out by2D gel electrophoresis. This approach shows clear differences among the three classes of subjects. Inthe case of diabetic and nephropathic patients intense spots appear. Their enzymatic digestion followedby matrix assisted laser desorption ionization/mass spectrometry (MALDI/MS) analysis shows that anoverexpression of unglycated and glycated ApoA-I is present in both pathological states. Interestingly,this trend is also observed for the retinol-binding protein (RBP). The data obtained can be relevant toassess possible risks associated either with the glycation level of ApoA-I or with the overexpression ofRBP. In fact, in the former case possibly a different functionality of the glycated protein is to be expected,reflecting a different efficiency in cholesterol transport. In the latter case, the increase of RBP level can berelated to the overweight of the diabetic subjects under investigation: it is known that obesity leads toRBP overexpression. In the case of nephropathic patients, the RBP level increases in parallel with serumcreatinin