Evaluation of methods for the measurement of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

A high concentration of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in plasma is one of the strongest risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and mortality. The most common approach to determining LDL-C in the clinical laboratory is the Friedewald calculation. There is an increased interest to improve the accuracy of LDL-C estimated by this equation. The expert panel convened by National Cholesterol Education Program has recommended the development of accurate direct methods to measure LDL-C. Several homogeneous and fully automated methods have been introduced in recent years that show improved precision and accuracy over earlier methods, especially the Friedewald calculation. Each of the atherogenic particles in plasma--very-low, intermediate-, and low- density lipoprotein--as well as lipoprotein (a), contain one molecule of apolipoprotein B (apoB) and thus, plasma total concentration of apoB reflects the number of atherogenic particles. Several studies suggested that the measurement of apoB could improve the prediction of risk of coronary artery disease. Thus, in addition to the newly developed direct assays, alternative calculation procedures have been proposed that also take into consideration total serum apoB concentration for the estimation of LDL-C and the presence of small, dense LDL particles. The new generation of homogenous methods for the measurement of LDL-C and the use of serum apoB concentration for the estimation of LDL-C can contribute to the accurate LDL-C determination.