Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017:2017:1273042.
doi: 10.1155/2017/1273042. Epub 2017 May 7.

Small Dense Low-Density Lipoprotein as Biomarker for Atherosclerotic Diseases

Ekaterina A Ivanova  1 , Veronika A Myasoedova  2   3 , Alexandra A Melnichenko  2 , Andrey V Grechko  4 , Alexander N Orekhov  2   5
Affiliations
Review

Small Dense Low-Density Lipoprotein as Biomarker for Atherosclerotic Diseases

Ekaterina A Ivanova et al. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2017.

Abstract

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) plays a key role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. LDL consists of several subclasses of particles with different sizes and densities, including large buoyant (lb) and intermediate and small dense (sd) LDLs. It has been well documented that sdLDL has a greater atherogenic potential than that of other LDL subfractions and that sdLDL cholesterol (sdLDL-C) proportion is a better marker for prediction of cardiovascular disease than that of total LDL-C. Circulating sdLDL readily undergoes multiple atherogenic modifications in blood plasma, such as desialylation, glycation, and oxidation, that further increase its atherogenicity. Modified sdLDL is a potent inductor of inflammatory processes associated with cardiovascular disease. Several laboratory methods have been developed for separation of LDL subclasses, and the results obtained by different methods can not be directly compared in most cases. Recently, the development of homogeneous assays facilitated the LDL subfraction analysis making possible large clinical studies evaluating the significance of sdLDL in the development of cardiovascular disease. Further studies are needed to establish guidelines for sdLDL evaluation and correction in clinical practice.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hypothetical scheme of metabolic origins of LDL subclasses. Two metabolic pathways exist for the production of LDL particles from the precursors secreted by the liver. In case of low TG availability, the liver secretes mostly VLDL1 and IDL as TG-rich and TG-poor lipoprotein particles. These can be modified by LPL and HL to generate LDLI and III particles. In case of high TG availability, a distinct pattern of LDL precursors is secreted, including larger VLDL1 and VLDL2. After these modifications by LPL and HL, they give rise to LDLII and IV particles. After TG transfer to the LDL particles by CETP, they can be further delipidated by HL resulting in the formation of smaller LDL particles. TG: triglycerides; LPL: lipoprotein lipase; HL: hepatic lipase; CETP: cholesterol ester transfer protein.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Prospective Studies Collaboration, Lewington S., Whitlock G., et al. Blood cholesterol and vascular mortality by age, sex, and blood pressure: a meta-analysis of individual data from 61 prospective studies with 55,000 vascular deaths. Lancet. 2007;370(9602):1829–1839. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61778-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mills E. J., Rachlis B., Wu P., Devereaux P. J., Arora P., Perri D. Primary prevention of cardiovascular mortality and events with statin treatments: a network meta-analysis involving more than 65,000 patients. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2008;52(22):1769–1781. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2008.08.039. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hirayama S., Miida T. Small dense LDL: an emerging risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Clinica Chimica Acta. 2012;(414):215–224. doi: 10.1016/j.cca.2012.09.010. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baigent C., Keech A., Kearney P. M., et al. Efficacy and safety of cholesterol-lowering treatment: prospective meta-analysis of data from 90,056 participants in 14 randomised trials of statins. Lancet. 2005;366(9493):1267–1278. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)67394-1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Afilalo J., Majdan A. A., Eisenberg M. J. Intensive statin therapy in acute coronary syndromes and stable coronary heart disease: a comparative meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Heart. 2007;93(8):914–921. doi: 10.1136/hrt.2006.112508. - DOI - PMC - PubMed