The accumulated evidence that oxidative modification of LDL plays an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in animal models is very strong. The negative results in recent clinical studies have caused many to conclude that LDL oxidation may not be relevant in the human disease. Yet many of the lines of evidence that support the hypothesis have been demonstrated to apply also in h...

Despite the importance of accurate assessment for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), the Friedewald formula has primarily been used as a cost-effective method to estimate LDL-C when triglycerides are less than 400 mg/dL. In a recent study, an alternative to the formula was proposed to improve estimation of LDL-C. We evaluated the performance of the novel method versus the Friedewald f...

Elevated plasma total homocysteine is considered to be a graded risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Folate, through its homocysteine-lowering potential, may therefore be protective. Folate, however, may have protective effects independent of homocysteine-lowering. We have measured the effects of folate on Cu-catalysed oxidative damage to the unsaturated lipids in human LDL. Experiments were...

We evaluated in a double-blind randomized trial with a double-dummy design in 28 patients with primary hypertriglyceridemia, the effect of gemfibrozil (1200 mg/day) versus Omacor (4 g/day), a drug containing the n-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), on lipid and lipoprotein levels, low density lipoprotein (LDL) subfraction profile and LDL oxidizability. Both Oma...

Lp-PLA2 is a calcium-independent serine lipase that is associated with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in human plasma and serum [1] and is distinct from other phospholipases such as cPLA2 and sPLA2 [2]. LpPLA2 is produced by macrophages and is expressed in greater concentrations in atherosclerotic lesions [3]. Several lines of evidence suggest that oxidation of LDL plays a critical step in the d...

In this study we assessed whether low density lipoproteins (LDL) isolated from minced aortic atherosclerotic plaques obtained at autopsy (A-LDL) shared structural and functional properties with LDL oxidized by incubation with Cu2+ for 8-18 hours at 20 degrees C (Ox-LDL). Although both A-LDL and Ox-LDL represented monomeric particles about the size of LDL, both differed from LDL in that they sho...

the non-enzymatic carbamylation of low density lipoprotein (ldl) is a naturally occurring chemical modification of apolipoprotein b as a result of condensation between lysine residues and cyanate derived from urea. carbamylated ldl is poorly recognized by ldl receptors and initiates different processes that can be considered proatherogenic. thus, ldl carbamylation may contribute to the increase...

Accumulating evidence indicates that secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) enzymes promote atherogenic processes. We have previously showed the presence of Group V sPLA2 (GV sPLA2) in human and mouse atherosclerotic lesions, its hydrolysis of low density lipoprotein (LDL) particles, and the ability of GV sPLA2-modified LDL (GV-LDL) to induce macrophage foam cell formation in vitro. The goal of thi...

The contemporary notion that oxidative stress contributes to vascular wall pathology dates back some 25 years, when chemical modification of LDL was found to permit macrophage foam cell formation,1 and subsequent data indicated that vascular cells promoted LDL lipid oxidation (eg, LDL oxidation) to produce a similarly modified LDL.2 It is now clear, however, that oxidative stress in the vascula...