Anomalous lipoprotein-X in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) is the most common form of diabetes characterized by the disturbances of carbohydrate, protein, and lipid metabolism including dyslipidemia and elevation of the low-density lipoprotein (LDLP) levels. Lipoprotein-X (LP-X) represents an anomalous subclass of LDLP a distinctive feature of which is the high content of phospholipids and non-esterified cholesterol coupled with the low level of cholesterol ethers, triglycerides, and proteins. LP-X was detected in the blood of the patients with various diseases of the liver and biliary ducts associated with cholestasis. The results of our previous investigations suggest the presence of LP-X in the blood of the patients with familial Mediterranean fever and ischemic stroke complicated by concomitant diabetes mellitus. The objective of the present work was to elucidate whether LP-X actually occurs in the blood of the patients presenting with type 2 diabetes mellitus. We used the method of polyanionic precipitation of LDLP preliminarily separated by agar gel electrophoresis. The study has demonstrated for the first time the presence of LP-X in the blood of the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Its possible pathogenetic role and mechanisms of LP-X generation in DM2 are discussed.