The lipidome and proteome of high-density lipoprotein are altered in menopause

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles possess anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, cytoprotective, and antioxidative properties, thus protecting against cardiovascular diseases. Menopause is associated with changes in serum metabolome and HDL size distribution. We analyzed the protein and lipid composition of the HDL particles from pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal women (n = 216) with nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry to get a deeper insight into the composition of HDL in different stages of menopause. Both particle size and composition differed; in perimenopause, the proportion of small HDL particles (8.7 nm on average) was higher, and the proportion of large HDL particles (12.1 nm on average) was lower than in pre- or postmenopause. In perimenopause, each particle size class was enriched with triacylglycerols, and the calculated lipid class ratio of triacylglycerol/cholesteryl ester was the highest within perimenopausal HDL particles. This potentially affects HDL interaction with lipid-modifying enzymes. We also observed directionally opposite associations for HDL cholesteryl ester and unesterified cholesterol with systemic estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone levels, especially regarding S-sized HDL particles, but not the hormone associations with HDL triacylglycerols. Perimenopausal HDL exhibited a lower proportion of apolipoproteins (apoA-I, apoA-II, apoC-I, apoC-III, apoD, and apoE) per particle than premenopausal or postmenopausal HDL. In summary, we found that premenopausal and postmenopausal HDL particles were compositionally similar and differed from perimenopausal ones. We suggest that menopause, and especially the unbalanced hormonal state in perimenopause, are reflected in the lipid and protein compositions of the HDL, which, in turn, may affect the functions of the HDL particle during menopause.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first study to examine compositional differences in systemic pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal HDL particles utilizing lipidomics and proteomics approaches. We found an unbalanced hormonal state of perimenopause to be associated with small HDL particle size with proinflammatory lipid and protein composition, and contain proinflammatory lipid and protein composition compared with pre- and postmenopausal statuses.