Effective exosomes reduction in hypercholesterinemic patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases by lipoprotein apheresis: Exosomes apheresis

IntroductionExtracellular vesicles (EVs) have been identified as playing a role in atherosclerosis.MethodsA group of 37 hypercholesterolemic patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD) and 9 patients requiring hemodialysis (HD) were selected for the study.ResultsEVs were comparably reduced by various LA methods (Thermo: 87.66% +/- 3.64, DALI: 87.96% +/- 4.81, H.E.L.P.: 83.38% +/- 11.98; represented as SEM). However, LDL-C (66%; 55%; 75%) and Lp(a) (72%; 67%; 79%) were less effectively reduced by DALI. There was no significant difference in the reduction of EVs when comparing different techniques, such as hemoperfusion (DALI; n = 13), a precipitation (H.E.L.P.; n = 5), and a double filtration procedure (Thermofiltration; n = 19). Additionally, no effect of hemodialysis on EVs reduction was found.ConclusionsThe study suggests that EVs can be effectively removed by various LA procedures, and this effect appears to be independent of the specific LA procedure used, as compared to hemodialysis.