Methods for assessing cardiovascular disease or inflammatory disease risk using non-exchangeable lipid probe

A method of assessing the risk for development of a disease in a patient, the method comprising:

• (i) incubating a sample of body fluid from the patient with donor particles, wherein the sample of body fluid is whole plasma, urine, or saliva, and wherein the donor particles are coated with a lipid and a first quantity of a detectably labeled, non-exchangeable lipid probe (NELP), which NELP is phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), prior to incubating the donor particles with the sample,
• wherein the detectably labeled NELP is effluxed by HDL,
• wherein the sample of body fluid comprises high density lipoprotein (HDL) and one or more HDL-associated protein(s) comprising apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I),
• wherein the apoA-I specifically transfers at least a portion of the detectably labeled NELP from the donor particles to the HDL to produce detectably labeled NELP-associated HDL having a second quantity of detectably labeled NELP;
• (ii) separating the detectably labeled NELP-associated HDL into a first portion and the donor particles into a second portion;
• (iii) measuring the second quantity of detectably labeled NELP in the first portion;
• (iv) determining a detectably labeled NELP efflux value for the patient, wherein the detectably labeled NELP efflux value for the patient equals the second quantity of detectably labeled NELP divided by the first quantity of detectably labeled NELP;
• and
• (v) comparing the detectably labeled NELP efflux value for the patient to a reference standard, wherein the reference standard is the detectably labeled NELP efflux value of control human body fluid sample(s) determined by carrying out (i)-(iv) using the control human body fluid sample(s) in place of the sample of body fluid from the patient;
• wherein a detectably labeled NELP efflux value for the patient that is equal to or higher than the reference standard is indicative of a lower risk for development of the disease in the patient,
• wherein a detectably labeled NELP efflux value for the patient that is lower than the reference standard is indicative of a higher risk for development of the disease in the patient,
• wherein the disease is an inflammatory disease or cardiovascular disease.