[A simple method of studying oxidation resistance of heparin-precipitated blood beta lipoproteins]

Decrease of beta-lipoprotein resistance to copper-dependent oxidation is an important diagnostic criterion of risk of atherosclerosis. We developed a simple method for assessing resistance of heparin-precipitated beta-lipoproteins to oxidation induced by 50 microM copper ions. A strong positive correlation between the oxidation of precipitated and ultracentrifuged beta-lipoproteins in the presence of 50 and 10 microM copper ions, respectively, was revealed. In coronary patients oxidation resistance of precipitated beta-lipoproteins was decreased in comparison with that in healthy donors. The method is simple, informative, and easily available for clinical biochemical laboratories.