TOCOPHEROLS AND CAROTENES ARE DIFFERENTLY DISTRIBUTED IN SUBFRACTIONS OF HIGH-DENSITY-LIPOPROTEIN

An apolipoprotein (ape) E-rich and an ape E-poor fraction of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were isolated from four healthy men by heparin-Sepharose affinity chromatography. On a cholesterol basis, the apa E-poor HDL fraction contained a third more alpha- and gamma-tocopherol and about a third less alpha- and beta-carotene than the apo E-rich HDL fraction. Plasma concentrations of HDL cholesterol were highly correlated with the contribution of the apo E-rich HDL subfraction to total HDL alpha-tocopherol (r = - 0.990, P < 0.001).