Varied Relationship of Lipid and Lipoprotein Profiles to Liver Fat Content in Phenotypes of Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease

BackgroundProgressive overloads of intrahepatic triglycerides are related to metabolic dysregulation of multiple lipid and lipoprotein profiles, but whether similar dose effects are found in each subtype of metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) remains unclear. We aimed to characterize the lipid profiles associated with liver fat content (LFC) in MAFLD patients who were overweight, lean/normal weight, or had diabetes.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study enrolling 1,182 consecutive participants (144 non-MAFLD and 1,038 MAFLD) who underwent MRI proton density fat fraction measurement (MRI-PDFF) from 2011 to 2020. Lipid and apolipoprotein profiles, free fatty acid (FFA), liver and metabolism parameters, and anthropometric measurements were also assessed.ResultsMAFLD patients with type 2 diabetes or overweight/obesity had a higher proportion of abnormal lipid and lipoprotein profiles than those who were lean/normal weight. The degree of LFC had a positive correlation with total cholesterol, triglyceride, ApoB, and ApoE in patients with overweight/obesity and type 2 diabetes. In those with overweight/obesity, there were dose–response relationships between moderate-to-severe steatosis and total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-c, LDL-c, ApoB, ApoE, and Lp(a). A similar trend was observed for triglyceride in those with type 2 diabetes and for HDL-c in patients who were lean/normal weight (all p for trend <0.05). The combined model of relative lipid-related markers performed well in the prediction of moderate-to-severe steatosis (AUC: 0.762 for overweight/obesity; 0.742 for lean/normal weight).ConclusionLFC was associated with lipid profiles, including triglyceride, LDL-c, ApoB, ApoE, and FFA. These relationships were varied by the phenotype of MAFLD according to its diagnostic flow.

Potential Effects of Antioxidant and Serum Cholesterol-Lowering Effects of Gynura bicolor Water Extracts in Syrian Hamster

Gynura bicolor (Roxb. and Willd.) DC (G. bicolor) is a dietary vegetable in the Far East. The aims of the present study were to investigate the antioxidant effects of the G. bicolor water extract (GBWE) and its ability to regulate the blood lipid and lipoprotein profiles. In this study, the pigment composition and antioxidant ability of the GBWE were analyzed. Syrian hamsters were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and the GBWE for 12 weeks, and the blood lipid levels, lipoprotein profiles, and cholesterol metabolism-related enzyme levels were then examined. The results showed that the GBWE exhibited excellent 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity and ferrous-ion-chelating ability. The hepatic glutathione levels in the hamsters were increased after the administration of low (0.4 g/kg BW, GBWE-L) or high (0.8 g/kg BW, GBWE-H) levels of the GBWE. The GBWE-H-treated hamsters exhibited significantly decreased serum levels of total cholesterols (TC) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and significantly increased levels of lectin-cholesterol acetyltransferase (LCAT). These results showed that GBWE-H can reduce the total cholesterol and LDL-C levels in HFD-fed hamsters, and this reduction might be involved in the regulation of LCAT expression.

OR08-05 Sex and Ethnic Differences in Advanced Lipoprotein Profiles in South Asians, African-Americans, and Caucasians

Background: African-Americans (AA) and South Asians (SA) are known to have higher risk for T2D and cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to Caucasians (CA). Advanced analysis of lipoprotein particles with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy can offer insights into CVD risk and lipid metabolism beyond a standard lipid panel. Insulin resistance (IR) is known to be associated with atherogenic lipoprotein profile. Objective: To characterize the lipoprotein profile in AA, CA, and SA men and women. Design: A cross-sectional study of 182 healthy, non-diabetic SA, AA and CA patients was conducted at NIH. Subjects underwent an intravenous glucose tolerance test from which insulin sensitivity (Si) was derived using the Minimal Model. Lipoprotein profiles were measured by NMR with the LP4 deconvolution algorithm, which reports triglyceride-rich lipoprotein particles (TRLPs), high-density lipoprotein particles (HDLPs), and low-density lipoprotein particles (LDLPs). For group comparisons, Si was adjusted for age and fat free mass. Lipoprotein parameters were adjusted for age and body fat %. Results: Fifty-nine non-diabetic SA (33 males, 26 females), 49 AA (26 males, 23 females), and 74 CA (29 males, 45 females) were included in the study. Ethnic differences in Si were observed in men (p=0.002) but not in women (p=0.43). SA men had a significantly lower Si than both AA and CA men (p=0.02). TG concentrations and TRL particle number were significantly higher in CA men and women when compared with AA. TRLP size was not different between the ethnic groups in either sex. LDL particle number and ApoB concentration was significantly higher in SA men and women compared to AA and CA. There were no ethnic or sex differences in LDL size. HDL concentration, HDL particle number, and ApoA-I levels were not different between the groups in both sexes. However, in SA, large HDL particle number and HDL particle size was significantly lower than CA. Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) activity was significantly higher in SA men, but not women, when compared with AA and CA. Ethnic differences in LDLP and L-HDLP number remained even after adjusting for Si. Conclusions: In SA men and women, the lipoprotein phenotype (higher LDLP and lower L-HDLP) is independent of insulin sensitivity. Increased CETP activity may contribute to the lower large HDL particle number in this group. In AA, TG and TRLP number were lower as previously reported. Further investigation is needed to determine the factors mediating the atherogenic profile in SA.

The Effect of Quail Egg and Hen Egg Consumption on Low-Density Lipoprotein Oxidation and Small Dense Low-Density Lipoprotein

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of quail egg and hen egg supplements on lipoprotein profiles, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation and small dense LDL cholesterol (sd-LDL-C) in young healthy people, compared with hen eggs. Material and Methods: Twenty-three healthy volunteers (11 men and 12 women) were randomly assigned to consume 3 whole hen eggs per day (hen group, n=11) (total cholesterol 633 mg) or 9 quail eggs per day (quail group, n=12) (total cholesterol 459 mg) for 30 days. The plasma cholesterol and plasma triglyceride concentrations and lipoprotein fractions (Triglyceride-rich lipoprotein; TRL, LDL and high-density lipoprotein; HDL) were determined at baseline and after the 30-day period of egg consumption. The LDL oxidation (lag time) was measured by the increase of conjugated diene production. Sd-LDL-C was calculated from the major lipid and lipoprotein parameters. Results: In the quail group, plasma triglyceride (TG) and LDL-TG were significantly decreased, whereas the plasma cholesterol and HDL-C were unchanged. There was no alteration in lipoprotein profiles in the hen group. The LDL lag time of the quail group was longer than at baseline. There were no significant changes in sd-LDL-C levels in both groups during the study.Conclusion: Quail egg and hen egg consumptions for 30 days did not change the lipoprotein profiles, sd-LDL as well as the LDL-oxidation, which not modified the cardiovascular disease risk factor.