Alterations in the levels and lipid composition of plasma lipoproteins (VLDL, LDL and HDL) in Brazilian patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis mansoni

1. The plasma concentrations of low- and high-density lipoproteins (LDL and HDL) were significantly reduced in Brazilian patients with compensated hepatosplenic schistosomiasis mansoni (SM) when compared with healthy individuals, but very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) levels were unchanged. 2. All three classes of lipoproteins isolated from SM plasma had an increased content of triacylglycerol and unesterified cholesterol and decreased cholesteryl ester and phospholipid. 3. The individual phospholipid composition of patient VLDL, LDL, HDL was also altered; the amount of phosphatidylcholine was increased and that of lysophosphatidylcholine decreased. 4. The saturated and monounsaturated fatty acyl content of cholesteryl esters in patient lipoproteins was also significantly increased, and diunsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acyl content was decreased. 5. When isolated lipoproteins were examined as negatively stained preparations by electron microscopy, the morphology of SM patient LDL was normal but the HDL fraction was abnormal and showed marked heterogeneity of size with the presence of occasional discoidal particles which resembled nascent HDL

Alterations in the fatty acyl composition of plasma cholesteryl esters in brazilian patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis mansoni

1. The dyslipoproteinemia commonly occurring in the hepatosplenic forms of schistosomiais mansoni in Brazilian patients is characterized by low plasma levels of choleteryl esters and of the cholesterol-esterifying enzyme, lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCATase, EC.2.3.1.43). 2. In the present study, normal helathy individual and patients sufferin from hepatosplenic schistosomiasis mansoni were comapred for the fatty acyl compositons of circulating plasma cholesteryl esters and of those formed in vitro by the action of LCATase on a) the endogenous plasma lipoprotins and b) an excess of lipoprotein substrate composed of heat-inactivated plasma. 3. In patient palsma the proportions of saturated and monounsaturated cholesteryl esters were higher and those of diunsaturated and polyunsaturated esters were lower than in the control group. 4. Similar differences were observed between patients and controls in the proportions of the cholesteryl ester subclasses formed in vitro by the action of LCATase on endogenous plasma lipoprotins. 5. Incubation of fresh normal or patient plasma with escess heat-inactivated plasma as substrate for LCATase produced proportions of cholesteryl ester subclasses similar to those formed dduring incubation of nonheated aliquots of the appropriate plasma. 6. We conclude that the alterations in fatty acyl composition of palsma cholesteryl estes in patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis mansoni do not appear to be direct consequence of the low levels of LCATase acivity in patient plasma