HDL-cholesterol in coronary artery disease risk: Function or structure?

Low concentrations of phospholipids and plasma HDL cholesterol subclasses in asymptomatic subjects with high coronary calcium scores

“…Given that the plasma concentrations of the phospholipids of HDL subclasses may be markers of the numbers of lipoprotein particles [12,13], it may be that subjects with high levels of calcification had lower plasma levels of HDL particles than subjects with low levels or subjects without detectable coronary calcification. This interpretation of the data is consistent with previous reports suggesting that low numbers of HDL particles, as determined by RMN, are a predictor of CAD [4], and contributes further to our knowledge in this field, as we demonstrated that low levels of HDL particles are detectable during the asymptomatic stages of atherosclerosis.…”

“…HDL comprises a heterogeneous group of lipoproteins that may be classified by decreasing size as HDL2b, HDL2a, HDL3a, HDL3b and HDL3c [4,5]. These HDL subclasses have different antiatheogenic characteristics [4,6e8], but the HDL subfraction that has the most important anti-atherogenic role remains a matter of debate; it is likely that HDL functionality is determined not only by the sizes of these lipoproteins but also by their lipid composition [3,4,9e13].…”

Increased HDL Size and Enhanced Apo A‐I Catabolic Rates Are Associated With Doxorubicin‐Induced Proteinuria in New Zealand White Rabbits

“…These findings are consistent with the increased levels of HDL-triacylglycerols observed in rabbits during proteinuria. In this context, HDL structure is related to the metabolism of these lipoproteins [6,7,24,44,45]; notably, small HDL appear to be catabolized faster than larger particles [36,37,44,45]. In this study, the increased apo A-I FCR observed in proteinuric rabbits further supports the augmented loss of small HDL via the kidney.…”

Revisiting “Good” and “Bad” Cholesterol. The Battle over Flow through Arteries Now Shifts to Flow through Airways

“…As large HDL particles are more cholesterol laden than small HDL particles and correlate better with HDL-C (7), the authors' traditional and advanced findings on HDL are consistent, and together may suggest that large HDL particles possibly mediate airway protective effects in asthma. This is generally consistent with the cardiovascular literature, where large HDL particles have been associated with cardioprotection in some, but not all, reports (7,21).…”

“…The cross-sectional study design prevents conclusions on temporality and causality. On that note, given that inflammation has been associated with reductions in HDL-C and remodeling of HDL (7,21), reverse causality between advanced lung disease and HDL cannot be excluded. It would be interesting to know whether inflammatory measures such as C-reactive protein either confound or modify the HDL-FEV 1 relationship.…”