Coronary endothelial dysfunction is positively related to low-density lipoprotein and inversely related to high-density lipoprotein subclass particles
The study aimed to test the hypothesis that lipoprotein subclasses are associated with coronary endothelial dysfunction, which was assessed in 325 female and 165 male patients. Coronary endothelial dysfunction was diagnosed in 273 patients; among those, 64.5% presented microvascular dysfunction. Total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were not associated with endothelial dysfunction. In contrast, epicardial endothelial dysfunction was significantly correlated with total and small LDL particles and inversely correlated with total and large high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles. In conclusion, epicardial, but not microvascular, coronary endothelial dysfunction appears to be directly associated with LDL particles and inversely associated with HDL particles, which may be indicative of a location-dependent impact of lipoprotein particles on coronary circulation.


















