Background: Epidemiological trials revealed a significant inverse relationship between the cholesterol concentration in high density lipoproteins (HDL-C), apolipoprotein A-I and the incidence of ischaemic heart disease (IHD). It is assumed that the protective effects of HDL against the development of IHD are due to its important function during the reverse cholesterol transport. The HDL-C and apo A-I concentration are influenced by a number of genetic, racial, sexual, hormonal, metabolic and nutritional factors. The objective of the present investigation was to assess how the fatty acid (FA) composition in phosphatidyl choline in plasma affects the HDL-C and A-I concentration in subjects with primary hyperlipoproteinaemia and dyslipidaemia.
Methods and results: In a group of 142 subjects with primary hyperlipoproteinaemia and dyslipidaemia the plasma concentrations of lipids, lipoproteins, apolipoproteins and fatty acids in plasma phosphatidyl choline (PC) were assessed. Using discriminant analysis where the dependent variables were the lower quintiles (Q1 + Q2) and upper quintiles (Q4 + Q5) of HDL-C and A-I concentrations and the independent variables FA concentrations in plasma PC, the authors provided evidence that low HDL-C concentrations are associated with 18:0 and conversely a rise of Apo-I is associated with concentrations of 18:1n-9, 18:2n-6, 18:3n-6 and 22:6n-3 in plasma phosphatidylcholine.
Conclusions: The submitted results indicate that FA concentrations in plasma PC are significantly and markedly associated with HDL-C and A-I concentrations in subjects with hyperlipoproteinaemia and dyslipidaemia. This opens the opportunity to influence favourably the concentration of these parameters by changing the dietary fatty acid composition.