AIM:To investigate high-density lipoprotein ( HDL) subclass distribution and to analyze the rela-tionship between HDL subclasses with plasma glucose and lipids in metabolic syndrome ( MS) .METHODS:Apolipopro-tein A-I ( apoA-I) contents of plasma HDL subclasses were determined by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis associated with immunodetection .The concentrations of lipids and apolipoproteins in the plasma were measured by an automated bio -chemical analyzer .RESULTS:Compared with the controls , the levels of fasting plasma glucose ( FPG) , total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride ( TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL-C), LDL-C/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apolipoprotein B100(apoB100), apoB100/apoA-I, systolic blood pressure (SBP), body mass index (BMI) and HDL3b were increased in the MS patients (P<0.05).Meanwhile, HDL-C, apoA-I and preβ2-HDL, HDL2a and HDL2b were decreased in the MS patients (P<0.01).With the increase in the plasma glucose level , the contents of HDL2a and HDL2b were decreased in the MS patients (P<0.05), while preβ1-HDL was increased (P<0.05).With the decrease in the HDL-C level, the content of HDL2b was decreased in the MS patients (P<0.01), while preβ1-HDL was increased (P<0.01).With the increase in the TG level and the decrease in the HDL-C level, the content of HDL2b had a decrea-sing trend and the content of small-particle preβ1-HDL had an increasing trend , indicating that HDL maturation metabolism was disrupted.The correlation analysis showed that FPG was negatively correlated with the levels of HDL 2a and HDL2b, HDL-C was negatively correlated with the level of preβ1-HDL and positively correlated with the level of HDL 2b , and TG was positively correlated with the levels of preβ1-HDL and HDL3b .CONCLUSION:With the increases in the plasma glucose and TG, and the decrease in HDL-C in the MS patients, HDL particles have minifying tendency , and the maturation me-tabolism of HDL particles is disrupted .