OXIDIZED LIPOPROTEINS, ALTERED CELL-FUNCTION AND ATHEROSCLEROSIS

A correlation between atherogenesis and lipoprotein oxidation was firs t suggested by experiments showing increased uptake by macrophages of oxidized LDL and oxidized LDL injury to cultured cells. Recent data wh ich demonstrate the existence of oxidized lipoproteins in vivo, combin ed with studies showing a 'protective' effect of antioxidants against atherosclerosis progression, have greatly increased the interest in th eories posing that lipoprotein oxidation is causally related to arteri al disease. The fact that dozens of new compounds are produced upon th e oxidation of low density lipoprotein has led, perhaps not surprising ly, to numerous discoveries in vitro of altered cell function induced by exposure of cells to oxidized LDL that are distinct from those resu lting from exposure to native LDL. This brief overview will describe s elected altered cell functions of oxidized lipoproteins and how they m ay impact on atherosclerosis.