Increased apoprotein B in very low density lipoproteins of patients with peripheral vascular disease

Lipoprotein compositional studies were carried out in 20 patients with atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease. Twelve of these patients were normolipidemic, the other eight, hypertriglyceridemic. Ten normolipidemic and 10 hypertriglyceridemic age-matched subjects were used as controls. High density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were markedly reduced in the hypertriglyceridemic subjects, both with (35.1 ± 5.0 mg/dl) and without (36.2 ± 11.7 mg/dl) peripheral vascular disease, as compared to the normolipidemic patients (47.0 ± 6.3 mg/dl) and controls (48.1 ± 10.0 mg/dl). A decreased relative content of apo C-II in very low density lipoproteins in the hypertriglyceridemic subjects, as compared to the normolipidemics, was detected by isoelectric focusing. Hypertriglyceridemia in patients with peripheral vascular disease shows a typical Type IV lipoprotein and apoprotein profile. Apoprotein B levels in very low and low density lipoproteins were determined by electroimmunodiffusion and selective precipitation with tetramethylurea (r=0.981 between the two methods). All the patients with peripheral vascular disease showed an increased apo B content in very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) as compared to controls (apo B cholesterol in VLDL = 0.431 ± 0.124 for peripheral vascular disease patients and 0.236 ± 0.086 for controls, p < 0.001). A significant correlation between VLDL cholesterol and apo B levels was detected both in peripheral vascular disease patients and in controls; however, two distinct populations could be clearly separated (slopes of the regression lines: peripheral vascular disease patients = 0.350; controls = 0.215, p < 0.001). The data suggest a possible discriminatory power of VLDL-apo B levels in patients with peripheral vascular disease independent from other lipoprotein and lipid parameters.