The apolipoprotein B/A1 ratio is associated with reactive oxygen metabolites and endothelial dysfunction in statin-treated patients with coronary artery disease

Aim: the prognostic significance of the apolipoprotein b/a1 (apob/a1) ratio in statintreated patients with coronary artery disease (cad) is unknown. we aimed to evaluate the association of the apob/a1 ratio with oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction in these patients. methods: we enrolled 62 consecutive statin-treated patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (pci). their lipid profiles,diacron-reactive oxygen metabolites (d-roms),as a marker of oxidative stress,flow-mediated dilatation (fmd),as a marker of vascular endothelial function,and c-reactive protein (crp) levels,as a marker of inflammation,were measured. results: our study population comprised 44 men and 18 women (mean age,70.5±2.5 years). the apob/a1 ratio was positively correlated with the results of the d-roms test (p = 0.004,r = 0.36) and crp level (p = 0.02,r = 0.30) and negatively correlated with the %fmd (p = 0.005,r = -0.40). a multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the most powerful predictive factor for the d-roms was the apob/a1 ratio (p = 0.026). we therefore divided patients into two groups according to the cutoff point reported by the interheart study: a low apob/a1 ratio (<0.641,n = 26) and a high apob/a1 ratio (>0.641,n = 36). the patients with a high apob/a1 ratio had higher levels of d-roms and crp,and tended to have a lower %fmd. conclusion: the apob/a1 ratio was associated with the d-roms,a marker of oxidative stress,endothelial dysfunction and inflammation,and could be useful as a residual atherosclerotic risk marker to help prevent cad in statin-treated patients.