Oxidized lipoproteins, altered cell function and atherosclerosis.

A correlation between atherogenesis and lipoprotein oxidation was first suggested by experiments showing increased uptake by macrophages of oxidized LDL and oxidized LDL injury to cultured cells. Recent data which demonstrate the existence of oxidized lipoproteins in vivo, combined with studies showing a 'protective' effect of antioxidants against atherosclerosis progression, have greatly increased the interest in theories posing that lipoprotein oxidation is causally related to arterial disease. The fact that dozens of new compounds are produced upon the oxidation of low density lipoprotein has led, perhaps not surprisingly, to numerous discoveries in vitro of altered cell function induced by exposure of cells to oxidized LDL that are distinct from those resulting from exposure to native LDL. This brief overview will describe selected altered cell functions of oxidized lipoproteins and how they may impact on atherosclerosis.