Plasma concentrations of apolipoproteins A-I, B, and M in patients with critical limb ischemia

Objectives: Apolipoproteins affect development of atherosclerosis, but their involvement in the pathogenesis of critical limb ischemia (CLI), a severe form of atherosclerosis, has not previously been examined. Design and methods: ApoA-I, apoB, and apoM were measured in plasma from 196 CLI subjects and 214 control individuals from the background population. Results: Cases had lower levels of the apolipoproteins, as compared to controls; apoA-I, 123 vs. 2.08 g/L; apoB, 0.93 vs. 1.04 g/L; apoM, 0.75 vs. 0.91 mu mol/L (p<0.0001 for all three). ApoA-I and apoM correlated negatively with inflammatory markers and positively to 1- and 3-year survival rates, whereas apoB did not. In multivariate analyses, apoA-I, but not apoB and apoM, was independently associated with CLI, the odds ratio being 0.015. Conclusions: In subjects with CLI, plasma concentrations of apoA-1, apoB and apoM were significantly lower than in control individuals, but only apoA-I was independently associated to CLI. (C) 2010 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.