Relationship between subclasses low-density lipoprotein and carotid plaque

BACKGOUND: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol can lead to the occurrence of atherosclerotic plaques, but patients with normal LDL still have atherosclerotic plaques in clinical practice. With the proposal of LDL subclass, this experiment investigated the relationship between the LDL content of different subclasses and the stability of carotid plaques. METHODS: Plaque stability was suggested by carotid ultrasound results. 37 patients with stable plaques were classified into one group and 41 patients with unstable plaques were classified into another group. The data of age, glycosylated hemoglobin (Ghb), and homocysteine (Hcy) were collected. The contents of LDL subclasses were measured by LIPOPRINT system. The data of total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride (TG) were collected. The plaque stability was assessed by carotid artery color Doppler ultrasound and the intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured. RESULTS: The levels of LDL-1 subclass 19.00 (13.00, 27.50) and LDL-2 subclass (21.62 ± 7.24) in the stable plaque group were higher than those in the unstable plaque group (p < 0.05). The levels of LDL-3 subclass (12.24 ± 4.58), LDL-4 subclass 5.00 (2.00, 9.00), and sd-LDL 0 (0.00, 3.00) in the unstable plaque group were higher than those in the stable plaque group (p < 0.05). LDL-1 subclass (adjusted OR = 0.923 and p < 0.05), and LDL-3 subclass (adjusted OR = 1.176 and p < 0.05) were independent risk factors for plaque stability. CONCLUSION: Elevated LDL1 is associated with stable plaques whereas LDL3 was found associated with unstable plaques.