Apolipoproteins in the context of lipoprotein metabolism

Overview

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (AS CVD) remains a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality despite advancements in treatment. Lifestyle diseases like type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome contribute to AS CVD risk through abnormalities in lipoprotein metabolism, which support the development of atherosclerosis. Current guidelines, including those from EAS and ESC, claim that lowering LDL-C levels due to their strong AS CVD correlation is the main aim of treatment for cardiovascular risk reduction. Current methods of LDL-C measurement, such as the Friedewald equation, have limitations. Therefore, the development of other biochemical analytical methods for measuring LDL-C and the search for suitable alternative markers for a more accurate determination of cardiovascular risk is necessary. Apolipoproteins, notably ApoB and apoC-III, emerge as potential supplementary AS CVD risk markers, supported by newly standardized measurement techniques. Due to the complexity of lipoprotein metabolism, a deeper understanding of apolipoproteins and lipoproteins is necessary to understand the risk of developing AS CVD. This article briefly describes the metabolism of individual lipoproteins emphasizing the role of apolipoproteins, especially apoC-III.

Keywords:

Metabolism – Lipoproteins – Apolipoproteins – cardiovascular disease