Background: Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) allows triglycerides (TG) to be subclassified into 14 different classes based on particle size and lipid content. We recently showed that these sub-fractions have differential associations with cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. We report the distributions and define reference interval ranges for 14 TG-containing lipoprotein sub-fraction metabolites. Methods: Lipoprotein sub-fractions using the Nightingale NMR platform were measured in 9,073 participants from 4 cohort studies contributing to the UCL-Edinburgh-Bristol (UCLEB) consortium. The distribution of each metabolite was assessed. Reference interval ranges were calculated for a disease-free population, by sex and age group, and in participants with CVD or type 2 diabetes. We also determined the distribution across BMI and smoking status. Results: The largest reference interval range was observed in the medium VLDL sub-class (2.5th 97.5th percentile; 0.08 to 0.68 mmol/L). TG sub-fraction concentrations in VLDL, IDL, LDL and HDL sub-classes increased with increasing age and increasing BMI. TG sub-fraction concentrations were significantly higher in ever smokers compared to never smokers, among those with clinical chemistry measured total TG greater than 1.7 mmol/L, and in those with CVD , and type 2 diabetes as compared to disease-free subjects. Conclusion: This is the first study to establish reference interval ranges for 14 TG-containing lipoprotein sub-fractions in samples from the general population measured using the NMR platform. The utility of NMR lipid measures may lead to greater insights for the role of TG in CVD, emphasising the importance of appropriate reference interval ranges for future clinical decision making.

背景：核磁共振（NMR）可以根据粒径和脂质含量将甘油三酸酯（TG）分为14种不同的类别。我们最近显示，这些子部分与心血管疾病（CVD）事件具有不同的关联。我们报告了分布，并定义了14种含TG脂蛋白亚组分代谢产物的参考区间范围。方法：使用Nightingale NMR平台对脂蛋白亚组分进行了测定，该研究来自4个队列研究的9,073名参与者，这些研究对UCL-爱丁堡-布里斯托尔（UCLEB）联盟做出了贡献。评估每种代谢物的分布。按性别和年龄组以及患有CVD或2型糖尿病的受试者计算无病人群的参考区间范围。我们还确定了BMI和吸烟状况的分布。结果：在中等VLDL亚类中观察到最大的参考区间范围（第2.5 99.7个百分点； 0.08至0.68 mmol / L）。VLDL，IDL，LDL和HDL亚类中的TG亚组分浓度随年龄增长和BMI升高而增加。与从未吸烟者相比，曾经吸烟者与从未吸烟者相比，TG亚组分浓度显着更高，与无病受试者相比，在临床化学测量总TG大于1.7 mmol / L的人群中，CVD和2型糖尿病患者中。结论：这是首次确定使用NMR平台测量的一般人群样品中14种含TG脂蛋白亚组分的参考区间范围的研究。核磁共振脂质测量的实用性可能会导致人们对TG在CVD中的作用有更深入的了解，