Plasma lipid lipoproteins and biliary lipid composition in female gallstone patients

The relationships between biliary lipid composition and cholesterol or triglyceride concentration in plasma lipoprotein fractions (i.e., very-low density, low-density, high-density, HDL2 and HDL3) have been studied in normolipaemic female gallstone patients. Univariate and multivariate stepwise statistical analyses were used to correlate biliary-tested variables against lipid lipoprotein concentration. Cholesterol saturation index was found to be positively and independently associated with total triglycerides, very-low-density lipoprotein triglycerides, very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and furthermore, negatively, with HDL3-cholesterol. Percent biliary deoxycholate was positively correlated with both cholesterol saturation index and plasma very-low-density cholesterol or triglycerides. Neither cholesterol saturation index nor percent biliary deoxycholate showed any correlation with total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL2-cholesterol. The present findings suggest a linkage between biliary deoxycholate, biliary cholesterol saturation and plasma very-low-density lipoprotein levels in gallstone patients. Furthermore, since the lipoprotein risk factors for coronary heart disease showed no correlation with cholesterol saturation index, these results were considered a biochemical proof against the supposed association between coronary heart disease and gallstone disease.