Increased Plasma 7 beta-Hydroxycholesterol Concentrations in a Population With a High Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

• Published in: Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology Vol. 19; no. 4; pp. 967 - 971
• Main Authors: Zieden, Bo, Kaminskas, Arvydas, Kristenson, Margareta, Kucinskiene, Zita, Vessby, Bengt, Olsson, Anders G, Diczfalusy, Ulf
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA American Heart Association, Inc 01-04-1999; Hagerstown, MD Lippincott
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiovascular Diseases - blood; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Coronary heart disease; Cross-Sectional Studies; Heart; Humans; Hydroxycholesterols - blood; Lithuania - epidemiology; Male; Medical sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Middle Aged; Random Allocation; Risk Factors; Sweden - epidemiology; Lithuania; Sweden; Human; Lipoprotein LDL; Risk factor; Vitamin; Cardiovascular disease; Oxidation; Coronary heart disease
• ISSN: 1079-5642; 1524-4636
• DOI: 10.1161/01.ATV.19.4.967

The mortality in coronary heart disease among 50- to 54-year-old men is 4 times higher in Lithuania than in Sweden. It was recently suggested that traditional risk factors could not explain this mortality difference. LDL of Lithuanian men showed, however, a lower resistance to oxidation than that of Swedish men. In addition, the plasma concentration of gamma-tocopherol, lycopene, and beta-carotene were lower in Lithuanian men. In the present investigation, we determined plasma oxysterols in men from Lithuania and Sweden and found that the plasma concentration of 7 beta-hydroxycholesterol was higher in Lithuanian men, 12 +/- 5 versus 9 +/- 8 (SD) ng/mL (P=0.0011). This oxysterol is a cholesterol autoxidation product and there is no indication that it should have an enzymatic origin. Mean LDL oxidation lag time was shorter in Lithuanian men (75 +/- 14 versus 90 +/- 13 minutes, P<0.0001) and the concentration of LDL linoleic acid was lower (249 +/- 56 versus 292 +/- 54 [micro sign]g/mg of LDL protein, P<0.0001). Lipid corrected gamma-tocopherol was 0.07 +/- 0.02 mg/mL in Vilnius men and 0.12 +/- 0.04 mg/mL (P<0.0001) in Linkoping men. There was a negative correlation between the concentration of 7 beta-hydroxycholesterol and lag time (R=-0.31, P=0.0023). It is suggested that the higher 7 beta-hydroxycholesterol concentration in Lithuanian men is an indication of an increased in vivo lipid peroxidation. (Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1999;19:967-971.)