Serum Anti-Apo B Antibody Level as Residual CVD Marker in DM Patients under Statin Treatment

Aim: In the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, autoantibodies have two-facedness of progression and protection. Previous reports have indicated that low autoantibody levels against apolipoprotein B-100 (apo B-100) could increase the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in healthy subjects. In this study, we investigated the relationship between circulating anti-apo B-100 autoantibodies and the clinical parameters in Japanese diabetic patients with or without CVD. Methods: We measured the serum levels of anti-apo B-100 autoantibodies against native and malondialdehyde (MDA)-modified p45 or p210 epitopes, as well as anti-apo E autoantibodies, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: In patients with CVD, the circulating levels of IgG against native p45, MDA-modified p45, and MDA-modified p210 (IgG(N-45), IgG(MDA-45), and IgG(MDA-210)) were significantly lower than those in patients without CVD, whereas no difference was observed in anti-apo E autoantibody levels. In addition, IgM(N-45), IgM(MDA-45), and IgG(MDA-45) were negatively correlated with LDL-C levels, whereas IgG(N-45) and IgG(N-210) were positively correlated with HbA1c levels. No correlation was observed between autoantibody levels and diabetic microangiopathy. In the statin-treated subgroup, IgG(MDA-45) and IgG(MDA-210) were significantly lower in patients with CVD than in those without CVD. Conclusion: Measurement of serum anti-apo B-100 autoantibodies can be useful for the evaluation of CVD risk in patients with diabetes receiving statin treatment.