Oxidized LDL and Malondialdehyde-Modified LDL in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes and Stable Coronary Artery Disease

TLDR

The association between oxidative modifications of LDL and coronary artery disease is suspected but not established. The study investigated whether plasma levels of oxidized LDL and malondialdehyde‑modified LDL are associated with acute coronary syndromes and stable coronary artery disease. The authors examined 63 acute coronary syndrome patients, 35 stable angina patients, 28 heart transplant patients with post‑transplant CAD, 79 transplant patients without CAD, and 65 controls. After adjusting for age, sex, and lipids, oxidized LDL and MDA‑modified LDL were higher in CAD patients than in controls, and MDA‑modified LDL was further elevated in acute coronary syndromes versus stable CAD and correlated with troponin I and C‑reactive protein, whereas oxidized LDL did not correlate with these biomarkers, indicating that oxidized LDL is linked to CAD while MDA‑modified LDL may signal plaque instability and ACS risk.

Abstract

Background —The association between oxidative modifications of LDL and coronary artery disease (CAD) is suspected but not established. Therefore, the association between plasma levels of oxidized LDL and malondialdehyde (MDA)-modified LDL and acute coronary syndromes and stable CAD was investigated. Methods and Results —The study population contained 63 patients with acute coronary syndromes (45 with acute myocardial infarction and 18 with unstable angina pectoris), 35 nontransplanted patients with angiographically confirmed stable angina, 28 heart transplant patients with posttransplant CAD, 79 heart transplant patients without CAD, and 65 control subjects. After correction for age, sex, and LDL and HDL cholesterol, plasma levels of oxidized LDL and MDA-modified LDL were significantly higher in patients with CAD than in individuals without CAD ( r 2 =0.57 and r 2 =0.26, respectively; both P =0.0001). Plasma levels of MDA-modified LDL were significantly higher in patients with acute coronary syndromes than in individuals with stable CAD ( r 2 =0.65; P =0.0001) and were associated with increased levels of troponin I and C-reactive protein ( r 2 =0.39 and r 2 =0.34, respectively; both P =0.0001). Plasma levels of oxidized LDL were not associated with increased levels of troponin I and C-reactive protein ( r 2 =0.089 and r 2 =0.063, respectively). Conclusions —Elevated plasma levels of oxidized LDL are associated with CAD. Elevated plasma levels of MDA-modified LDL suggest plaque instability and may be useful for the identification of patients with acute coronary syndromes.