LDL and apoB
CETP, unlike PLTP, rises with hyperlipidemia but stays flat in diabetes, a new ELISA study shows (Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 1999)
Original title: Mass concentration of plasma phospholipid transfer protein in normolipidemic, type IIa hyperlipidemic, type IIb hyperlipidemic, and non-insulin-dependent diabetic subjects as measured by a specific ELISA
Using a newly developed competitive ELISA, plasma PLTP mass and activity were measured for the first time alongside CETP in normolipidemic subjects (n=30), type IIa (n=36) and type IIb (n=33) hyperlipidemic patients, and non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients (n=50). PLTP mass and activity were significantly correlated with each other (r=0.787, P<0.0001) but did not differ between normolipidemic, type IIa, and type IIb groups, and showed no correlation with lipid parameters. In contrast, plasma CETP concentrations were significantly higher in type IIa and type IIb patients than in normolipidemic controls, with significant positive correlations to total and LDL cholesterol. PLTP mass and activity were markedly elevated in diabetic patients versus normolipidemic controls (6.76 vs 3.95 mg/L and 685 vs 575 nmol/mL/h, both P<0.0001) and correlated with glycemia and glycohemoglobin, but CETP levels did not differ significantly between these two groups, suggesting PLTP relates more to glucose metabolism than lipid metabolism.
Original abstract
Mean plasma phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) concentrations were measured for the first time by using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. PLTP mass levels and phospholipid transfer activity values, which were significantly correlated among normolipidemic plasma samples (r=0.787, P<0.0001), did not differ between normolipidemic subjects (3.95+/-1.04 mg/L and 575+/-81 nmol. mL-1. h-1, respectively; n=30), type IIa hyperlipidemic patients (4. 06+/-0.84 mg/L and 571+/-43 nmol. mL-1. h-1, respectively; n=36), and type IIb hyperlipidemic patients (3.90+/-0.79 mg/L and 575+/-48 nmol. mL-1. h-1, respectively; n=33). No significant correlations with plasma lipid parameters were observed among the various study groups. In contrast, plasma concentrations of the related cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) were higher in type IIa and type IIb patients than in normolipidemic controls, and significant, positive correlations with total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were noted. Interestingly, plasma PLTP mass concentration and plasma phospholipid transfer activity were significantly higher in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (n=50) than in normolipidemic controls (6.76+/-1. 93 versus 3.95+/-1.04 mg/L, P<0.0001; and 685+/-75 versus 575+/-81 nmol. mL-1. h-1, P<0.0001, respectively). In contrast, CETP levels did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. Among non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients, PLTP levels were positively correlated with fasting glycemia and glycohemoglobin levels (r=0.341, P=0.0220; and r=0.382, P=0.0097, respectively) but not with plasma lipid parameters. It is proposed that plasma PLTP mass levels are related to glucose metabolism rather than to lipid metabolism.
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Summary written by cetpinhibition.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 19 August 2026. Methods.