Rath M, Pauling L
Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94306.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 Aug;87(16):6204-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.16.6204.
The concept that lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a surrogate for ascorbate is suggested by the fact that this lipoprotein is found generally in the blood of primates and the guinea pig, which have lost the ability to synthesize ascorbate, but only rarely in the blood of other animals. Properties of Lp(a) that are shared with ascorbate, in accordance with this hypothesis, are the acceleration of wound healing and other cell-repair mechanisms, the strengthening of the extracellular matrix (e.g., in blood vessels), and the prevention of lipid peroxidation. High plasma Lp(a) is associated with coronary heart disease and other forms of atherosclerosis in humans, and the incidence of cardiovascular disease is decreased by elevated ascorbate. Similar observations have been made in cancer and diabetes. We have formulated the hypothesis that Lp(a) is a surrogate for ascorbate in humans and other species and have marshaled the evidence bearing on this hypothesis.
脂蛋白(a)[Lp(a)]是抗坏血酸替代物这一概念的提出，是基于这样一个事实：这种脂蛋白通常存在于灵长类动物和豚鼠的血液中，它们已经失去了合成抗坏血酸的能力，但在其他动物的血液中却很少见。根据这一假设，Lp(a)与抗坏血酸共有的特性包括促进伤口愈合和其他细胞修复机制、强化细胞外基质（如血管中的）以及预防脂质过氧化。高血浆Lp(a)与人类的冠心病和其他形式的动脉粥样硬化有关，而抗坏血酸水平升高可降低心血管疾病的发病率。在癌症和糖尿病方面也有类似的观察结果。我们已经提出了一个假设，即Lp(a)在人类和其他物种中是抗坏血酸的替代物，并整理了支持这一假设的证据。
