Cholesterol最新文献

Purpose. We assessed the five components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) as defined by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in 6040 (3158 males) youths aged 6-16 years who participated in the Präventions-Erziehungs-Programm (PEP Family Heart Study) in Nuernberg between 2000 and 2007. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine associations with lifestyle habits. Results and Discussion. The prevalence of MetS was low in children (1.6%) and adolescents (2.3%). High waist circumference (WC) and low HDL-C were slightly higher in females (9.5% and 7.5%, resp.) than in males (8.8% and 5.7%, resp.). Low leisure time physical activity (LTPA) was significantly associated with low HDL-C (odds ratio [OR] 2.4; 95% CI 1.2-5.0) and inversely associated with hypertension (r = -0.146), hypertriglyceridemia (r = -0.141), and central adiposity (r = -0.258). The risk for low HDL-C (≤1.3 mmol/L) was 1.7-fold (CI 1.0-2.6) higher in youth with high (≥33%) saturated fat consumption. A low polyunsaturated/saturated fat ratio (P/S ratio) was significantly associated with fasting hyperglycemia (OR 1.4; 95% CI 1.0-1.2).

Cholesterol-fed zebrafish is an emerging animal model to study metabolic, oxidative, and inflammatory vascular processes relevant to pathogenesis of human atherosclerosis. Zebrafish fed a high-cholesterol diet (HCD) develop hypercholesterolemia and are characterized by profound lipoprotein oxidation and vascular lipid accumulation. Using optically translucent zebrafish larvae has the advantage of monitoring vascular pathology and assessing the efficacy of drug candidates in live animals. Thus, we investigated whether simvastatin and ezetimibe, the principal drugs used in management of hypercholesterolemia in humans, would also reduce cholesterol levels in HCD-fed zebrafish larvae. We found that ezetimibe was well tolerated by zebrafish and effectively reduced cholesterol levels in HCD-fed larvae. In contrast, simvastatin added to water was poorly tolerated by zebrafish larvae and, when added to food, had little effect on cholesterol levels in HCD-fed larvae. Combination of low doses of ezetimibe and simvastatin had an additive effect in reducing cholesterol levels in zebrafish. These results suggest that ezetimibe exerts in zebrafish a therapeutic effect similar to that in humans and that the hypercholesterolemic zebrafish can be used as a low-cost and informative model for testing new drug candidates and for investigating mechanisms of action for existing drugs targeting dyslipidemia.

Background. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in children has been recognized as a major health burden. Serum lipids as well as dietary cholesterol (DC) intake may positively relate to development of NAFLD. The purpose of this study was to investigate anthropometric, biochemical, and dietary intake parameters of obese Greek children with and without NAFLD. Materials and Methods. Eighty-five obese children aged 8-15 (45 boys/40 girls) participated in the study. NAFLD was diagnosed by ultrasonography (US) in all subjects. Liver indexes were measured in all children. A 3-day dietary was recorded for all subjects. Results. 38 out of 85 children (44.7%) were found to have fatty liver. Obese children with increased levels of TC (95% CI: 1.721-3.191), low density lipoprotein (LDL) (95% CI: 1.829-3.058), and increased dietary cholesterol intakes (95% CI: 1.511-2.719) were 2.541, 2.612, and 2.041 times more likely to develop NAFLD compared with the children without NAFLD. Conclusion. The present study showed that TC, LDL, and DC were the strongest risk factors of development of NAFLD. Reducing body weight and dietary cholesterol intakes as well as decreasing serum TC and LDL levels are urgently necessary in order to prevent NAFLD and possible other health implications later in life.

Introduction. Consumption of unripe grape juice (verjuice) has been portrayed by the traditional belief, as a means of combating dyslipidemia. We aimed to evaluate the effects of unripe grape juice consumption on lipid profile in healthy human volunteers. Methods. We asked 42 enrolled volunteers to drink 10 cc of verjuice within 30 minutes to 2 hours after lunch and 10 cc of it after dinner. After taking 120 doses of verjuice, another fasting lipid profile was obtained from each participant. The statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 13 software. Results. After analysis of the data, the mean ± standard deviation for all the variables was obtained. Among those improvement of HDL-C was significant after the trial (P value < 0.001). TG, TC, and LDL improvement were not significant. Conclusion. Our study declared that verjuice has a dramatic effect on improving HDL-C level of serum but no any other lipid improvement effect was obtained.

Background. To evaluate the effect of rosiglitazone, fenofibrate, or their combined use on plasma lipids in normoglycemic healthy adults. Methods and Results. Subjects were randomized in a double-blind fashion to rosiglitazone + placebo, fenofibrate + placebo, rosiglitazone + fenofibrate, or matching double placebo. The between-group difference in the change in fasting TG, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-C, and plasma apolipoproteins A-I, A-II, and C-III level were compared after 12 weeks of treatment. A total of 548 subjects were screened and 41 met the inclusion criteria. After 12 weeks of therapy, the median change in the triglyceride levels showed a significant reduction ranging from 47 to 55 mg per deciliter in the fenofibrate only and rosiglitazone/fenofibrate groups compared with placebo (P = 0.0496). However, the rosiglitazone only group did not show significant change in triglyceride level. The change in the Apo AII showed increase in all the treatment groups compared with placebo (P = 0.009). There was also significant change in the Apo CIII that showed reduction of its level in the fenofibrate only and rosiglitazone/fenofibrate groups (P = 0.0003). Conclusion. Rosiglitazone does not appear to modulate hypertriglyceridemia in patients with elevated triglycerides independent of glucose metabolism.

Dysfunctional lipid metabolism plays a central role in pathogenesis of major chronic diseases, and genetic factors are important determinants of individual lipid profiles. We analyzed the associations of two well-established functional polymorphisms (FABP2 A54T and APOE isoforms) with past and family histories of 1492 population samples. FABP2-T54 allele was associated with an increased risk of past history of myocardial infarction (odds ratio (OR) = 1.51). Likewise, the subjects with APOE4, compared with E2 and E3, had a significantly increased risk of past history myocardial infarction (OR = 1.89). The OR associated with APOE4 was specifically increased in women for past history of myocardial infarction but decreased for gallstone disease. Interactions between gender and APOE isoforms were also significant or marginally significant for these two conditions. FABP2-T54 allele may be a potential genetic marker for myocardial infarction, and APOE4 may exert sex-dependent effects on myocardial infarction and gallbladder disease.

SR-BI is a cell surface HDL receptor that mediates selective uptake of the lipid cargo of HDL, an important process in hepatocytes, driving reverse cholesterol transport from cells in the artery wall. To facilitate examination of factors that modulate SR-BI activity in hepatocytes, we have generated fluorescent protein-tagged versions of SR-BI that allow for facile monitoring of SR-BI protein levels and distribution in transfected cells. We show that deletion of the C-terminal cytosolic tail does not affect the distribution of SR-BI in HepG2 cells, nor is the C-terminal cytosolic tail required for SR-BI-mediated uptake of HDL lipids. We also demonstrate that the phorbol ester, PMA, increased, while protein kinase C inhibitors reduced SR-BI-mediated HDL lipid uptake in HepG2 cells. These data suggest that protein kinase C may modulate selective uptake of HDL lipids including cholesterol in hepatocytes, thereby influencing hepatic HDL cholesterol clearance and reverse cholesterol transport.

The level of high-density lipoprotein is thought to be critical in inhibiting lesion formation as well as reducing the lipid load of preexisting atherosclerotic lesions. With the aim of determining the main determinants of plasma HDL-cholesterol (HDL-c) in free-living adults, 997 individuals (52.3 ± 10 years, 67% females) were selected for a descriptive cross-sectional study. The used data corresponded to the baseline obtained from participants clinically selected for a lifestyle modification program. Covariables of clinical, anthropometry, food intake, aerobic fitness, and plasma biochemistry were analyzed against plasma HDL-c either as continuous or categorized variables. After adjustments for age, gender, and BMI the excess of abdominal fat along with high carbohydrate-energy intake and altered plasma triglycerides were the stronger predictors of reduced plasma HDL-c. In conclusion lifestyle interventions aiming to normalize abdominal fatness and plasma triglycerides are recommended to restore normal levels of HDL-c in these free-living adults.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is a major carrier of cholesterol in the blood. Unlike other lipoproteins, physiological functions of HDL influence the cardiovascular system in favorable ways except when HDL is modified pathologically. The cardioprotective mechanism of HDL is mainly based on reverse cholesterol transport, but there has been an emerging interest in the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant roles of HDL. These latter activities of HDL are compromised in many pathological states associated with inflammation. Further, abnormal HDL can become proinflammatory contributing to oxidative damage. In this paper, we discuss the functional heterogeneity of HDL, how alterations in these particles in inflammatory states result in loss of both antioxidant activity and reverse cholesterol transport in relation to atherosclerosis, and the need for assays to predict its functionality.