The analysis of lipids and glycosaminoglycans of low-density lipoprotein-glycosaminoglycans complexes isolated from normal, fatty streaks and fibrous plaques of human aortic intima.

The low-density lipoproteins (LDL)-glycosaminoglycans (GAG) complexes were isolated from fibrous plaques, fatty streaks and normal of human aortic intima and analysed for lipids and GAGs. The LDL-GAG complexes formed a precipitation line against antihuman apoprotein B, which is a major component of plasma LDL, and the lipids constituents of LDL-GAG complexes resembled those of plasma LDL. It might be suggested from these findings that the lipoproteins (LP) bound to GAG in arterial tissue was originated from plasma LDL penetrated into arterial tissue from circulating system. From the analysis of GAGs in LDL-GAG complexes by two-dimensional electrophoresis, the % composition of GAG in fibrous plaques showed higher in chondroitin-4-sulfate (CS-4-S) plus chondroitin-6-sulfate (CS-6-S) and marked lower in dermatan sulfate (DS) when compared with those of fatty streaks. There are no differences in the % composition of hyaluronic acid (HA) in normal and atherosclerotic lesions. It would be suggested from these observations that the formation of saline extractable LDL-GAG complexes would be the early events in aortic intima when plasma LDL penetrated from circulation system and that not only DS and/or heparan sulfate (HS) but also CS-4-S and/or CS-6-S have an important role on the progression of atherosclerosis.