The HDL anti-inflammatory function is impaired in myocardial infarction and may predict new cardiac events independent of HDL cholesterol.

Background: Intrinsic functional properties of high density lipoproteins (HDL) are considered to be physiologically important for atheroprotection. We compared the HDL anti-inflammatory capacity between patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and patients with non-cardiac chest pain, and prospectively determined the association of new major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) with this metric of HDL function.

Methods: A prospective study was carried out in 93 patients referred for acute chest pain (65 patients with acute MI). The HDL anti-inflammatory capacity was determined as the ability to suppress tumor necrosis factor-α-induced vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 mRNA expression in endothelial cells in vitro.

Results: Acute MI at admission was associated with impaired HDL anti-inflammatory capacity (p=0.001), even after adjustment for HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I (p=0.003). Twenty nine MACE were ascertained during a median follow-up of 1210 (910-1679) days. New MACE was associated with impaired HDL anti-inflammatory capacity (hazard ratio: 1.80 (1.17-2.77) per SD change, p=0.007) in age, sex, HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein-AI adjusted analysis.

Conclusions: The ability of HDL to attenuate endothelial inflammation is impaired in acute MI, and this metric of HDL function may serve as a predictor of new MACE, even independent of HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I.