The kinetics of binding of serum lipoproteins by immobilized heparin.

A model arterial system of heparin immobilized on an agarose gel was used to study the amount and kinetics of binding of porcine serum lipoproteins to heparin. Binding occurred to lipoproteins in the density range 1.006 less than d less than 1.062, but there was no binding with high density lipoprotein. A theoretical model of the kinetic experiments was formulated and used to demonstrate that the rate of the binding reaction could be considered instantaneous relative to the rate of transport of lipoproteins. Extrapolation of these results to arterial levels of glycosaminoglycans and lipoprotein indicate that complexes of lipoprotein and the glycosaminoglycans could account for much of the cholesterol entrapment in atherosclerotic lesions.