Background: There is insufficient research on cholesterol uptake capacity (CUC) in preterm infants; therefore, the relationship between CUC and cholesterol transport in preterm infants is unclear. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between CUC and anthropometric measurements, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, and HDL-C subclasses in preterm infants.
Methods: Fifty-eight preterm infants were divided into small-for-gestational age (n = 20) (SGA) and appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA) (n = 38). CUC was measured using a fully automated immunoassay system, HI-1000. HDL-C subclasses were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography.
Results: SGA showed significantly lower HDL-C and CUC levels than AGA. We found a positive correlation between CUC and birth weight, birth height, and birth head circumference in preterm infants. Moreover, CUC had a strong relationship with HDL-C and very large, large, and medium HDL-C in preterm infants.
Conclusions: In preterm infants, CUC is associated with normal growth and may indicate the ability to transport cholesterol forward by large-or medium-size HDL.