HDL-C role in acquired aortic valve stenosis patients and its relationship with oxidative stress

Background and objectives: Mechanical stress is currently considered as the main factor promoting calcific aortic valve stenosis (AS) onset. It causes endothelial damage and dysfunction. The chronic inflammatory process causes oxidative stress. Oxidative stress-induced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) dysfunction is an important component of the development of AS. The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of HDL-C in AS patients in three severity grades and in relation to the biomarkers of oxidative stress, thioredoxin reductase 1 (TrxR1) and myeloperoxidase (MPO). Materials and Methods: 18 patients with mild, 19 with moderate. and 15 with severe AS were included in the study, and 50 individuals were enrolled in the control group. Stenosis severity was determined by echocardiography. The TrxR1 and MPO were analyzed by ELISA, and HDL-C by commercially available tests. Data were analyzed using GraphPad Prism 8. Results: HDL-C in AS patients vs. control substantially decreases and this decline was observed in all three AS severity groups: mild (p = 0.018), moderate (p = 0.0002), and severe (p = 0.004). In both the control and the stenosis group, the HDL-C was higher in women than in men. In comparison to control, the HDL-C level was lower in the AS group, and more pronounced in women (p = 0.0001) than in men (p = 0.049). A higher TrxR1 level was observed in patients with mild (p = 0.0001) and severe AS (p = 0.047). However, a clear correlation between TrxR1 and HDL-C was not obtained. Analysis of MPO showed differences in all severity grades vs. control (p = 0.024 mild stenosis; p = 0.002 moderate stenosis; p = 0.0015 severe stenosis). A negative correlation (p = 0.047; rp = −0.28) was found between MPO and HDL-C, which confirms the adverse effects of MPO resulting in HDL-C dysfunction. Conclusions: In this study, we justified HDL-C level association with AS development process. The results unequivocally substantiated the association between HDL-C and AS in all severity grades in women, but only in moderate AS for men, which we explained by the small number of men in the groups. The obtained correlation between the HDL-C and MPO levels, as well as the concurrent decrease in the HDL-C level and increase in the TrxR1 level, indicate in general an HDL-C association with oxidative stress in AS patients.