[Immuno-morphologic detection of specific APO-B antigenic determinants in normal intima and atherosclerotic plaques in the human aorta].

Various apo-B antigenic determinants exposures in the normal aortic intima and atherosclerotic plaques were examined by immunofluorescence using 5 clones from monoclonal antibodies (BAb) to apo-B. As a rule, 4 clones were found to react with apo-B in the normal aortic intima, whereas the clone 12G10 failed to respond to it. All the 5 determinants of apo-B were exposed in the fibrous tissue of most atherosclerotic plaques. However, there were atherosclerotic plaques, in whose fibrous tissue only did 1 to 3 clones positively react with apo-B. The similar expression of apo-B antigenic determinants was observed in the atheronecrotic zone of fibrous plaques. Apo-B did not respond to apo-B MAb at all in some atherosclerotic plaques present in the zone of atheronecrosis. Whether it is possible to modify low-density lipoproteins just in the arterial wall, especially in atherosclerotic plaques and whether this process is significant in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis are discussed in the paper.