• María Carmen García-Gómez, Teresa Padró, Natàlia Muñoz-García, María Bianchi, Lorenzo Álvarez, Lina Badimon, Emili Corbella, and Xavier Pintó.
• Department of Rheumatology, Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa, Carretera Torrebonica, s/n, 08227 Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain.
• Eur. J. Clin. Invest. 2023 Aug 1; 53 (8): e13999e13999.

BackgroundHigh-density lipoprotein (HDL) presents atheroprotective functions not readily reflected by plasma HDL-cholesterol levels. The aim of this study was to investigate HDL antioxidant function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).MethodsThis pilot and cross-sectional study included 50 RA patients and 50 controls matched by age, gender, cardiovascular risk factors and drug therapy. The antioxidant capacity of HDL was assessed by the total radical-trapping antioxidative potential test (TRAP-assay) and the susceptibility of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) to oxidation by the Conjugated Dienes Assay (Dmax ). A carotid ultrasound was performed in all participants to detect subclinical atherosclerosis.ResultsHigh-density lipoprotein from RA patients showed lower antioxidant capacity than those from controls [oxidized-LDL%: 35.8 (27-42) vs. 24.4 (20-32), p < .001] when analysed with the TRAP-assay. In addition, the time to achieve 50% of maximal LDL oxidation (Lag-time) was shorter in RA-patients than in matched controls [57.2 (42-71) vs. 69.5 (55-75) minutes, (p = .003)]. RA patients showed a higher atherosclerotic burden than controls. The pro-oxidant pattern in RA was irrespective of the presence of carotid atherosclerosis. On the contrary, there was a positive correlation between inflammatory parameters (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, ultrasensitive C-reactive protein and fibrinogen) and the loss of HDL-anti-oxidant capacity measured by the TRAP-assay (rho = .211, p = .035; rho = .231, p = .021 and rho = .206, p = .041, respectively). Furthermore, the glucocorticoid dose at recruitment was negatively associated with the Lag-time in RA patients (rho = -.387, p = .026).ConclusionRheumatoid arthritis patients present reduced HDL antioxidant capacity and a lower resistance of LDL particles to oxidation, mainly related to the degree of inflammation.© 2023 Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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