BACKGROUND: Many dangerous diseases are associated with changes in theconcentration of blood lipoproteins (LPs). Thus a fast and accurate method is needed to determine thecomposition of lipoprotein fractions in human serum.MATERIAL/METHODS: A comparison of 30 parameters characterizingdifferent LPs in serum from 120 healthy donors and 102 multiple sclerosis patients was carried out usinga unique algorithm developed to determine the concentrations of all the main lipids and apolipoproteinsin each LP fraction and subfraction. Specially developed computer programs and the small-angle X-rayscattering (SAXS) method were used to analyze the literature and experimental data.RESULTS: A generalmathematical model has been developed to describe the structure and equilibrium between various LPs,from high density to chylomicrons. All human serum LPs can be regarded as spherical particles, composedof a lipid hydrophobic spherical core consisting of triglycerides and cholesterol esters, and a hydrophilicshell of free cholesterol, phospholipids and apolipoproteins. We show for the first time that the distributionof components among various LP particles can be described by a system of five basic equations and twoadditional balance equations. The observed difference between control subjects and MS patients was foundto be statistically significant in 23 parameters.CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to traditional methods thenew method for analyzing human blood LPs is very simple and relatively quick.

Keywords: Adolescent, Comparative Study, Lipoproteins, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov, Scattering, Radiation