Lau B H
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA.
J Nutr. 2001 Mar;131(3s):985S-8S. doi: 10.1093/jn/131.3.985S.
It has been known for several decades that hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and that lowering of cholesterol can significantly reduce risk for cardiovascular diseases. More recently, oxidation of LDL has been recognized as playing an important role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Oxidized LDL, but not native LDL, promotes vascular dysfunction by exerting direct cytotoxicity toward endothelial cells, by increasing chemotactic properties for monocytes, by transforming macrophages to foam cells via scavenger-receptors and by enhancing the proliferation of various cell types, e.g., endothelial cells, monocytes and smooth muscle cells; all of these events are recognized as contributing to atherogenesis. In this paper, experimental evidence is presented that shows that several garlic compounds can effectively suppress LDL oxidation in vitro. Short-term supplementation of garlic in human subjects has demonstrated an increased resistance of LDL to oxidation. These data suggest that suppressed LDL oxidation may be one of the powerful mechanisms accounting for the antiatherosclerotic properties of garlic.
几十年来，人们已经知道高胆固醇血症是动脉粥样硬化的主要危险因素，降低胆固醇可以显著降低心血管疾病的风险。最近，低密度脂蛋白（LDL）的氧化被认为在动脉粥样硬化的发生和发展中起重要作用。氧化型LDL而非天然LDL通过对内皮细胞施加直接细胞毒性、增加对单核细胞的趋化特性、通过清道夫受体将巨噬细胞转化为泡沫细胞以及增强各种细胞类型（如内皮细胞、单核细胞和平滑肌细胞）的增殖来促进血管功能障碍；所有这些事件都被认为有助于动脉粥样硬化的发生。在本文中，提供了实验证据表明几种大蒜化合物在体外可以有效抑制LDL氧化。在人体受试者中短期补充大蒜已证明LDL对氧化的抵抗力增加。这些数据表明，抑制LDL氧化可能是大蒜抗动脉粥样硬化特性的强大机制之一。
