BLOOD ANTIOXIDANTS (VITAMIN-E AND BETA-CAROTENE) IN LONG-TERM LOW-DENSITY-LIPOPROTEIN APHERESIS

We measured vitamin E and beta-carotene in the serum and in circulatin g lipoproteins in a large population of 15 patients with familial hype rcholesterolaemia who were undergoing long-term treatment by low densi ty lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis. The technique used for apheresis was d extran sulphate cellulose adsorption. The results showed that before L DL apheresis, patients had high vitamin E and normal beta-carotene lev els in the serum and in the VLDL+LDL fraction. There were no relations hips between serum levels of vitamin E and beta-carotene and the durat ion of LDL-apheresis. Low vitamin E and beta-carotene levels in the HD L fraction could be related to the low HDL concentrations in these pat ients. Vitamin E/cholesterol ratios were similar to those of the normo lipaemic controls whereas beta-carotene/cholesterol ratios were lower. After LDL-apheresis treatment, the ratios in the HDL fraction fell wh ereas the ratios in the serum and in the VLDL and LDL fraction did not change. This study shows that these patients exhibited no deficiency in either serum or VLDL-LDL of vitamin E or beta-carotene after long-t erm treatment by LDL-apheresis and that the status of these antioxidan ts in serum was independent of the duration of treatment.