Abstract
AIMS: Identifying patients with vulnerable plaque who have poor prognosis among those with coronary artery disease (CAD) is crucial to deciding future therapeutic interventions. We previously reported that male CAD patients with low anti-apolipoprotein B-100 autoantibody (anti-apoB-100 Ab) levels were at an increased risk of developing unstable plaque lesions. This study focused on the autoantibodies against lipoprotein lipase (LPL), a key enzyme in triglyceride metabolism, which is another risk factor for atherosclerosis, and investigated their association with plaque characteristics. METHODS: We measured serum anti-LPL Ab levels using a homemade enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 80 male CAD patients. Coronary plaque properties were evaluated using iMAP(®)-intravascular ultrasound. RESULTS: Serum anti-LPL Ab levels were not correlated with plaque burden but were significantly negatively and positively correlated with fibrotic and necrotic plaques, respectively. High-risk patients with low anti-apoB-100 Ab levels were divided into groups according to their anti-LPL Ab levels. The group with high anti-LPL Ab levels exhibited more necrotic plaques and fewer fibrotic plaques as well as higher remnant-like lipoprotein particle levels than the group with low anti-LPL Ab levels. CONCLUSIONS: Serum anti-LPL Ab levels can serve as a marker of plaque instability in CAD patients and can help identify higher-risk cases when combined with anti-apoB-100 Ab levels.