Phospholipid transfer protein in hemodialysis patients

Phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) is mainly involved in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) metabolism. The role of PLTP in atherogenesis is still controversial. We aimed to investigate PLTP activity in hemodialysis (HD) patients, a population which has an increased risk for the development of atherosclerosis.

PLTP activity and other markers were analyzed in blood samples from 68 HD patients and in a matched group of 68 healthy controls.

Serum PLTP activity was nearly doubled in HD patients in comparison to healthy controls (median 43.0 vs. 22.4 pmol/mul/h, p < 0.001). In HD patients, PLTP activity correlated with HDL-C (r = 0.342, p = 0.004), but not with CRP (r = -0.057, p = 0.644) or leukocyte count (r = 0.116, p = 0.345). After a follow-up of 2 years, 26 HD patients had died. Kaplan-Meier analyses showed that low CRP (p = 0.047) but neither high HDL-C (p = 0.071) nor low PLTP activity (p = 0.853) were relevantly related to survival of HD patients.

An elevated PLTP activity in HD patients may be considered as a further aspect of uremic dyslipidemia in HD patients. However, PLTP activity was not related to markers of inflammation or to survival of HD patients, even though it correlated with HDL-C. Thus, we conclude that PLTP does not influence the prognostically relevant inflammatory process in HD patients although it does influence the composition of HDL particles.