Comparison of the effects of low-dose rosuvastatin on plasma levels of cholesterol and oxidized low-density lipoprotein in 3 ultracentrifugally separated low-density lipoprotein subfractions

•The small-sized plasma oxidized (ox) low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles in dense LDL may make them more atherogenic than ox-LDL particles in less-dense LDL.•The distribution of, and the statin effects, ox-LDL in LDL fractions has not been studied in detail.•The distributions of cholesterol and ox-LDL in, and the rosuvastatin effects, LDL fractions were studied.•The distribution of ox-LDL was skewed more toward the denser LDL fractions, compared with cholesterol; rosuvastatin reduced both ox-LDL and cholesterol in all LDL fractions.

BackgroundPlasma-oxidized (ox) low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is an atherogenic lipoprotein. The distribution of ox-LDL in plasma LDL subfractions and the effect of statins on this distribution have not been investigated in detail.ObjectiveWe examined the distribution of cholesterol and ox-LDL in 3 ultracentrifugally separated plasma LDL subfractions and investigated the effects of a statin, rosuvastatin, on the levels of these lipoproteins.Materials and methodsThirty-one polygenic hypercholesterolemic subjects were included in this study. Levels of cholesterol and ox-LDL in 3 plasma LDL subfractions and plasma levels of remnant-like particle cholesterol, ox-LDL, and adiponectin were measured after 0, 3, 6, and 12 months of treatment with rosuvastatin. Sequential ultracentrifugation was performed to subfractionate plasma lipoproteins.ResultsThe mean daily dose of rosuvastatin over the 12 months of treatment was 2.9 ± 1.0 mg (mean ± standard deviation). The cholesterol subfraction distribution was 43 ± 10% as low-density LDL, 46 ± 8% as medium-density LDL, and 13 ± 5% as high-density LDL. Similarly, the distribution of ox-LDL was 31 ± 10% as low-density LDL, 48 ± 7% as medium-density LDL, and 22 ± 8% as high-density LDL. After 12 months of treatment with rosuvastatin, the level of cholesterol was significantly reduced in all 3 subfractions (P < .0001), as was the level of ox-LDL (P < .0001). Furthermore, the plasma cholesterol level in high-density lipoprotein2 increased significantly.ConclusionsThe distribution of ox-LDL in plasma LDL subfractions was more skewed toward the denser subfractions, compared with cholesterol. Rosuvastatin treatment significantly reduced plasma levels of cholesterol and ox-LDL in all LDL subfractions.