A lineshape fitting model for 1H NMR spectra of human blood plasma.

A lineshape fitting model was constructed for classifying the overlapping information in the 1H NMR spectrum of human blood plasma. A reliable assignment of the overlapping fatty acid (-CH2-)n and -CH3 resonances of the various lipoproteins (VLDL, very low density lipoprotein; LDL, low density lipoprotein; HDL high density lipoprotein) is introduced, and for the first time detailed characteristics (chemical shifts, half linewidths, and relative intensities) of the individual lipoprotein components were obtained directly from the whole plasma spectrum. This was achieved by combining the constructed lineshape fitting model and the proper 400 MHz proton NMR measurements from blood plasma of a healthy donor, from fractions of the different lipoproteins, and from plasma samples in which the lipoprotein fractions were separately added. The results suggest fair promise of future applications of the rapid and easy NMR analysis of lipoprotein distribution in various research and clinical situations.