Pitavastatin treatment remodels the HDL subclass lipidome and proteome in hypertriglyceridemia

HDL particles vary in lipidome and proteome, which dictate their individual physicochemical properties, metabolism, and biological activities. HDL dysmetabolism in nondiabetic hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) involves subnormal HDL-cholesterol and apoAI levels. Metabolic anomalies may impact the qualitative features of both the HDL lipidome and proteome. Whether particle content of bioactive lipids and proteins may differentiate HDL subclasses (HDL2b, 2a, 3a, 3b, and 3c) in HTG is unknown. Moreover, little is known of the effect of statin treatment on the proteolipidome of hypertriglyceridemic HDL and its subclasses. Nondiabetic, obese, HTG males (n = 12) received pitavastatin calcium (4 mg/day) for 180 days in a single-phase, unblinded study. ApoB-containing lipoproteins were normalized poststatin. Individual proteolipidomes of density-defined HDL subclasses were characterized prestatin and poststatin. At baseline, dense HDL3c was distinguished by marked protein diversity and peak abundance of surface lysophospholipids, amphipathic diacylglycerol and dihydroceramide, and core cholesteryl ester and triacylglycerol, (normalized to mol phosphatidylcholine), whereas light HDL2b showed peak abundance of free cholesterol, sphingomyelin, glycosphingolipids (monohexosylceramide, dihexosylceramide, trihexosylceramide, and anionic GM3), thereby arguing for differential lipid transport and metabolism between subclasses. Poststatin, bioactive lysophospholipid (lysophosphatidylcholine, lysoalkylphosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylethanolamine, and lysophosphatidylinositol) cargo was preferentially depleted in HDL3c. By contrast, baseline lipidomic profiles of ceramide, dihydroceramide and related glycosphingolipids, and GM3/phosphatidylcholine were maintained across particle subclasses. All subclasses were depleted in triacylglycerol and diacylglycerol/phosphatidylcholine. The abundance of apolipoproteins CI, CII, CIV, and M diminished in the HDL proteome. Statin treatment principally impacts metabolic remodeling of the abnormal lipidome of HDL particle subclasses in nondiabetic HTG, with lesser effects on the proteome.