[Possibility of New Circulating Atherosclerosis-Related Lipid Markers Measurement in Medical and Complete Medical Checkups: Small Dense Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Lipoprotein Lipase].

Small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (sdLDL-C) concentrations correlate more strongly with cardiovascular disease (CVD) than other LDL-C and large LDL particle concentrations. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) plays a central role in triglyceride-rich lipoprotein metabolism by catalyzing the hydrolysis of triglycerides in chylomicrons and very low-density lipoprotein particles and is a useful biomarker in diagnosing Type I, Type IV, and Type V hyperlipidemia. Therefore, the measurement of circulating sdLDL-C and LPL concentrations contributes to the assessment of circulating atherosclerosis-related lipid markers. However, the measurement of these lipids has not been fully adopted in medical and complete medical checkups. Recently, novel automated homogenous assay for measuring sdLDL-C and latex particle-enhanced turbidimetric immunoassay (LTIA) for measuring LPL have been developed, respectively. Using these new assays, sdLDL-C values showed excellent agreement with those obtained by isolation of the d = 1.044 - 1.063 g/mL plasma fraction by sequential ultracentrifugation, and LPL values measured with and without heparin injection were highly correlated with the values measured by the LPL-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). These assays may be superior to the previous assays for the measurement of sdLDL-C and LPL concentrations due their simplicity and reproducibility. The measurements of sdLDL-C and LPL concentrations may be useful as lipid markers in the assessment of the development and progression of atherosclerosis and the detection of pathological conditions and diseases if these markers are measured in medical and complete medical checkups. We have introduced the possibility of the novel measurement of circulating atherosclerosis-related lipid markers such as sdLDL-C and LPL in medical and complete medical checkups. Further studies are needed to clarify whether sdLDL-C and LPL concentrations are related to the development and progression of atherosclerosis and CVD events.