LDL-containing immune complexes in the DCCT/EDIC cohort: associations with lipoprotein subclasses

Immune complexes containing modified LDL (LDL-IC) and NMR-determined Total LDL particle concentrations are significantly associated with intima-media thickness (IMT). We analyzed the associations between concentrations of NMR-determined lipoprotein subclasses and LDL-IC in the DCCT/EDIC cohort. LDL-IC concentrations in women and men of the DCCT/EDIC cohort did not differ significantly and were positively associated with Total LDL particle concentrations in men and women (r=0.34, r=0.32, respectively; P<.01) and with Small LDL concentration (r=0.22, r=0.13, respectively; P<.01). In women, Large LDL concentrations were also associated with LDL-IC (r=0.20, P<.01) while in men, the association was more modest (r=0.11, P<.05). Thus, both Small and Large LDL are associated with LDL-IC formation. Based on the results from statistical mediation analyses, we concluded that plasma concentrations of LDL-IC may provide a physiological link between the statistically significant association of Total LDL particle concentration with carotid artery IMT in subjects with Type 1 diabetes. Furthermore, after adjusting for conventional risk factors, there was a decrease in LDL-IC concentration even in the presence of high Total LDL particle concentrations in those women with high concentrations of Large HDL, but the association was not evident in men. This suggests that the associations between Large HDL and Total LDL particle concentrations, and their associations with LDL-IC levels, differ by gender and suggest that LDL-IC partially mediate the contribution of Total LDL particle concentration to increased carotid IMT in diabetic men.