Statin treatment increases the sialic acid content of LDL in hypercholesterolemic patients

Low density lipoprotein (LDL) with low sialic acid content has been reporte d to cause intracellular cholesterol accumulation, and therefore desialylat ion has been proposed to be an atherogenic modification of LDL. However, it is not known whether hypolipidemic treatment has any effect on LDL sialyla tion. Accordingly, we investigated the sialic acid/apolipoprotein (apo) B r atio of total LDL and its subfractions in 26 moderately hypercholesterolemi c patients at baseline and after treatment with statins for 2-3 months. Cho lesterol and triglyceride levels were reduced in all apo B-containing lipop roteins, including all LDL subfractions, while the sialic acid ratio was in creased in total LDL and in all its subfractions. Cholesterol concentration s and sialic acid ratios were inversely correlated in light and dense LDL s ubfractions both before and during statin treatment, and the greater the de crease in cholesterol and apo B contents of dense LDL, the higher was the i ncrease in its sialic acid ratio. Furthermore, the lower the baseline siali c acid ratio of dense LDL, the greater was the reduction in its lipid and a pe B concentrations. In conclusion, inhibition of cholesterol synthesis by statin treatment increased sialic acid/apo B ratio in LDL proportionately t o the decrease of LDL apo B and cholesterol. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Irel and Ltd. All rights reserved.