Association Between Lipid Profile and Serum 25(OH)D in Apical Periodontitis

Objectives: To evaluate how lipid profiles, including total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and triglyceride (TRG) are associated with serum 25(OH)D levels in apical periodontitis (AP) subjects with or without metabolic syndrome (MetS)
Methods: AP subjects with and without MetS were recruited at the Dental Institute of Guy’s Hospital. Baseline whole blood and serum samples were collected. Lipid profiles were measured using CardioCheck PA analyzer and PTS Lipid Panels Strips (BHR Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Warwickshire, UK), while serum levels of 25(OH)D were detected using Human 25(OH) Vitamin D ELISA kit (Abcam, Chicago, IL, USA). To identify any confounding factors, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed on subjects age, gender, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), and HbA1c levels. The correlations between lipid profiles and serum 25(OH)D were tested using “psych” package in R based on Spearman correlation coefficients.
Results: MANOVA results suggested that age, gender, waist circumference, BMI, and HbA1c levels had no significant effects on serum 25(OH)D levels in both groups. The correlation tests showed that, in AP with MetS group (n = 32), TC (rho = -0.38, p = 0.038) and LDL (rho = -0.42, p = 0.046) were significantly negatively associated with serum 25(OH)D levels. Whereas in AP without MetS group (n = 60), TC (rho = 0.39, p = 0.004), LDL (rho = 0.37, p = 0.006), and HDL (rho = 0.34, p = 0.012) were significantly positively associated with serum 25(OH)D levels.
Conclusions: In subjects with AP, the serum 25(OH)D levels were significantly associated with lipid profile. Our results highlight the potential roles of vitamin D in the alterations of lipid profile and in the pathogenesis of apical periodontitis especially in patients with MetS.