Association Between Serum Apolipoprotein A1 Levels, Ischemic Stroke Subtypes and Plaque Properties of the Carotid Artery

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the association between serum apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) levels, ischemic stroke subtypes and plaque properties. METHODS: We enrolled 92 patients with ischemic stroke and 21 age-matched controls (CONT). The stroke patients were divided into three subtypes: cardioembolic (CE, n = 15), atherothrombotic infraction (ATBI, n = 52), and lacunar infarction (LI, n = 25). Carotid plaques were classified as low, intermediate, or high intensity, and either simple or mixed type. Serum lipids (total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG)), ApoA1, and ApoB were analyzed using commercially available kits. RESULTS: There was no difference in TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, and ApoB levels among the four groups. Serum ApoA1 levels in the ATBI group were significantly lower compared with the CONT group. Among the ATBI group, the serum ApoA1 levels in the low-intensity plaque-type were significantly lower than those in the intermediate or hard-intensity plaque-type. Furthermore, serum ApoA1 levels in the mixed plaque-type were significantly lower than those in the simple type. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that serum ApoA1 levels might be associated with the development of ATBI and plaque properties of the carotid artery.