Serum lipids and lipoproteins are correlated to skin vessel reactivity in healthy women.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether serum lipids and lipoproteins are correlated to the results of skin vessel reactivity tests. DESIGN: Healthy, non-smoking individuals of various ages without atopic constitution and medication were selected for the study. SETTING: Subjects blood sampled and examined with iontophoresis and a newly developed laser Doppler perfusion imager at Huddinge University Hospital. SUBJECTS: Thirteen men, 20-80 years of age, and 21 women, 18-76 years of age, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Normalized perfusion values (%) after iontophoresis of acetylcholine (ACh), nitroprusside and isoprenaline. Fasting concentrations of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride values. RESULTS: Skin vessel reactivity tests to ACh and isoprenaline, and to a lesser extent, nitroprusside were positively correlated to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels (P = 0.014, 0.005 and 0.113, respectively), and negatively correlated to both the ratio of total cholesterol/HDL-C (P = 0.029, 0.011, 0.005) and the level of triglycerides (P = 0.045, 0.011, 0.005) in young and middle-aged women. There was also a negative correlation between isoprenaline and triglycerides (P = 0.042) in elderly women. No correlations between serum lipids and lipoproteins and skin vessel reactivity were found in men. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study suggest that serum lipids and lipoproteins, primarily HDL-C, influence skin vessel reactivity in healthy women. Furthermore, HDL-C seems to influence the function of the vascular smooth muscle as well as the endothelium.