Establishment of chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay for apolipoprotein B-48 and its clinical applications for evaluation of impaired chylomicron remnant metabolism

Background Apolipoprotein B-48 (apoB-48) is a constituent of chylomicron remnants synthesized in the small intestines. The serum concentration of apoB-48 at fasting has been reported to be a marker of postprandial hyperlipidemia, a presumed risk factor for atherosclerosis. Methods We evaluated the basal performance of a recently developed chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA). We also examined the correlations between serum apoB-48 concentrations and other lipid concentrations or life style patterns, including smoking and drinking. We analyzed the data of 273 clinical samples by multiple regression analysis to examine the influence of other serum lipid values, age, sex, smoking, drinking status and BMI on serum apoB-48 values. Results Within-run and between-run precision was obtained with 1.7–2.7% and 1.2–7.3%, respectively. The correlativity of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was correlation coefficient r = 0.953, and regression y = 1.02 × −1.59. Serum apoB-48 concentrations were higher in males than in females, and were correlated with the status of smoking as well as with remnant-like particle-cholesterol (RLP-C) concentrations. Patients with the metabolic syndrome showed higher values of serum apoB-48 compared with control subjects. Conclusion Serum apoB-48 measurement by CLEIA was satisfactory for clinical use to assess abnormalities in the chylomicron remnant metabolism.