ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Many dangerous diseases are associated with changes in the concentration of blood lipoproteins (LPs). Thus a fast and accurate method is needed to determine the composition of lipoprotein fractions in human serum. MATERIAL/METHODS: A comparison of 30 parameters characterizing different LPs in serum from 120 healthy donors and 102 multiple sclerosis patients was carried out using a unique algorithm developed to determine the concentrations of all the main lipids and apolipoproteins in each LP fraction and subfraction. Specially developed computer programs and the small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) method were used to analyze the literature and experimental data. RESULTS: A general mathematical model has been developed to describe the structure and equilibrium between various LPs, from high density to chylomicrons. All human serum LPs can be regarded as spherical particles, composed of a lipid hydrophobic spherical core consisting of triglycerides and cholesterol esters, and a hydrophilic shell of free cholesterol, phospholipids and apolipoproteins. We show for the first time that the distribution of components among various LP particles can be described by a system of five basic equations and two additional balance equations. The observed difference between control subjects and MS patients was found to be statistically significant in 23 parameters. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to traditional methods the new method for analyzing human blood LPs is very simple and relatively quick.
