A sensitive and convenient method for lipoprotein profile analysis of individual mouse plasma samples

A simple and convenient method to determine Plasma cholesterol profiles in individual mouse plasma samples is not presently available. With commonly u sed methods, plasma samples from several animals in a study group must ofte n be pooled and analyzed, usually by the fast phase liquid chromatography ( FPLC) method. The Column Lipoprotein Profile (or CLiP) method described her e is a modification of the FPLC method that provides a simple and convenien t procedure for determining plasma lipoprotein cholesterol profiles in smal l sample volumes, allowing determination of profiles from individual animal s rather than from pooled plasma. The CLiP method is reproducible; a human sample measured five times over several days produced coefficients of varia tion as follows: VLDL, 10.0%; LDL, 0.93%; and HDL, 2.51%. CLiP-derived tota l cholesterol values of five different human samples (with total cholestero l levels ranging from 198 to 263 mg/dL) differed from VAP-II by -1.88% +/- 2.57%. Linearity of differing concentrations for each of the lipoprotein cl asses was determined by measuring the same sample with different aliquot si zes. The linear regression from VLDL had an r value of 0.996, while LDL, HD L, and total cholesterol all had r values of greater than 0.999. We present a direct comparison of plasma cholesterol profiles from several mouse mode ls with gene modification or expression of transgenic proteins. In conclusi on, the CLiP method provides a simple, reliable, and reproducible procedure for determination of plasma cholesterol profiles from individual plasma sa mple volumes, using readily available equipment and reagents.