Itabe H, Takano T
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Teikyo University, Tsukui, Kanagawa, Japan.
J Atheroscler Thromb. 2000;7(3):123-31. doi: 10.5551/jat1994.7.123.
Oxidatively modified low density lipoprotein (OxLDL) is thought to be involved in the early development of atherosclerotic lesions. The appearance of lipid-laden foam cells is known to be one of the typical features of atherosclerotic lesions, and accumulating evidence has demonstrated that foam cells are formed after taking up OxLDL by macrophages in vitro. However, the modified structures, distribution, and metabolism of OxLDL present in vivo are poorly understood. Recently, our studies, together with others, have demonstrated that OxLDL is actually present in circulating human plasma. Furthermore, we have provided evidence that foam cells accumulate modified apoB fragments derived from OxLDL in the cells. This article reviews recent progress in this field, including the intracellular metabolism of OxLDL in foam cells and the relevance of OxLDL as an in vivo ligand for macrophages.
氧化修饰的低密度脂蛋白（OxLDL）被认为参与动脉粥样硬化病变的早期发展。富含脂质的泡沫细胞的出现是动脉粥样硬化病变的典型特征之一，越来越多的证据表明，体外巨噬细胞摄取OxLDL后会形成泡沫细胞。然而，体内OxLDL的修饰结构、分布和代谢情况却知之甚少。最近，我们和其他研究团队的研究表明，OxLDL实际上存在于人体循环血浆中。此外，我们还提供了证据表明，泡沫细胞在细胞内积累了源自OxLDL的修饰载脂蛋白B片段。本文综述了该领域的最新进展，包括泡沫细胞中OxLDL的细胞内代谢以及OxLDL作为巨噬细胞体内配体的相关性。
