Correlated biochemical modifications of plasma lipoproteins in coronary heart disease: an accelerating pathologic factor.

We investigated the presence of biochemically modified plasma lipoproteins as pathologic factor for coronary heart disease in 15 patients with angina pectoris (CHD-P) vs 20 normal subjects (N). Decreased HDL were the most significant pathological feature present in P over 66 years old, while, P under 66 had, in addition to low HDL-Cholesterol (HDL-C), high levels of plasma cholesterol (C), LDL-Cholesterol (LDL-C), and lipid peroxides (TBARS), together with the presence of desialylated LDL and VLDL. We demonstrated by statistic analysis that these risk factors are correlated: high plasma C with a more pronounced imbalance between LDL and HDL, which, in turn, is associated with high TBARS levels, and also with circulating desialylated VLDL; high plasma TBARS values with desialylated LDL. We detected an increased level of autoantibodies towards autologous LDL and VLDL, in P vs N. The level of autoantibodies anti-LDL correlated with LDL-C level and with LDL desialylation, thus modified circulating LDL being most probably atherogenic. Circulating anti-LDL autoantibodies together with the low level of HDL might contribute to acceleration and aggravation of the atherosclerotic process.