HDL3 exerts a more powerful antiperoxidative and protective effect against peroxidative modification of LDL than HDL2 does.

The objective of the present study was to establish that HDL3 has a greater antiperoxidative effect on the peroxidative modification of LDL than HDL2 has. The protective influence of HDL subfractions on this form of LDL modification was examined in samples by measuring the concentration of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS), as well as the electrophoretic mobility of LDL. LDL was incubated for 96 hours in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) alone, without the addition of transition-metal ions or in the presence of PBS and HDL2 or HDL3. All samples were subjected to agarose gel electrophoresis. Both HDL2 and HDL3 significantly inhibited peroxidative modification of LDL, as assessed by electrophoretic mobility, but this effect was much more pronounced with HDL3. HDL3 may play a more important role than HDL2 in the prevention of atherosclerosis in vivo by more effectively inhibiting LDL peroxidation.