Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 9, 2026

Pulse Wave Velocity Testing in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging
06:08

Pulse Wave Velocity Testing in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging

Published on: February 7, 2014

Association of LDL protein cargo with segmental pulse wave velocity in older adults in the atherosclerosis risk in

Binchong An1, Pamela L Lutsey2, Michelle M Mielke3

  • 1Department of Lab Medicine Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.

Frontiers in Aging
|June 8, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) protein cargo, specifically apolipoprotein B (apoB) and complement component 3 (C3), show distinct associations with arterial stiffness measures like brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and carotid-femoral PWV (cfPWV) in aging adults.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Science
  • Proteomics
  • Aging Research

Background:

  • Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is linked to brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), but associations with other pulse wave velocity (PWV) measures are inconsistent.
  • Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles contain not only lipids but also protein cargo, which may influence vascular health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate and compare the cross-sectional associations between LDL protein cargo and LDL-C with segment-specific PWV measures in an aging population.
  • To determine if LDL protein components offer different insights into arterial stiffness compared to LDL-C.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from 65 participants without dementia from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.
  • Quantified LDL cargo proteins using mass spectrometry-based proteomics.
  • Employed linear regression analysis, adjusting for covariates, to assess associations between LDL components (apoB, C3) and LDL-C with baPWV, femoral-ankle PWV (faPWV), and cfPWV.

Main Results:

  • Each SD increment of LDL apolipoprotein B (apoB) was associated with increased baPWV (103.0 cm/s, p=0.001).
  • Each SD increment of LDL complement component 3 (C3) was associated with increased cfPWV (80.9 cm/s, p=0.02).
  • LDL-C showed a positive association with baPWV (54.3 cm/s, p=0.08) and a negative association with cfPWV (-62.4 cm/s, p=0.04).

Conclusions:

  • LDL protein cargo, specifically apoB and C3, exhibit differential associations with arterial stiffness measures (baPWV and cfPWV).
  • These findings suggest that LDL protein composition may play a distinct role in vascular aging and arterial stiffness beyond LDL-C levels.
Abstract

Keywords:
LDLapolipoprotein Barterial stiffnessbaPWVcfPWVcomplement component C3

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