To reveal the importance of lysoposphatidyicholine (LPC) in patients with Type 2 diabetes
(DM), LPC in low density lipoprotein (LDL) was determined by high performance liquid
chromatography in 38 patients with Type 2 DM and 31 age and sex-matched non-diabetic
controls. Stearoyl LPC (SLPC) and palmitoyl LPC (PLPC) were detected in LDL. The contents
of both LPCs per gram protein in LDL were increased in diabetic patients compared
with the non-diabetics (1.99 ± 0.94 mg SLPC and 3.02 ± 1.81 mg PLPC vs 1.47 ± 0.57
mg SLPC and 2.30 ± 0.83 mg PLPC, mean ± SD, p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively).
PLPC showed a weak correlation with the levels of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and
HbA1c (r = 0.27 and r = 0.33, p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). The diabetic patients
with macroangiopathy showed higher levels of PLPC per gram protein compared to those
without macroangiopathy (4.60 ± 2.61 mg vs 2.53 ± 1.15 mg, respectively, p < 0.05).
The LPC molecular species may participate in the atherogenicity of LDL in patients
with Type 2 diabetes.
Key words
Lysophosphatidylcholine - Low Density Lipoprotein - Type 2 DM
