Elastin--lipid interaction action in the arterial wall. Part 1. Extraction of elastin from human aortic intima.

Elastin was extracted from human aortic plaque and adjacent grossly normal intima by the following methods: (1) 0.1 N NaOH at 100 degrees C, (2) hot NaOH and 0.2 M EDTA, (3) 5 M guanidine--HCl and collagenase, (4) guanidine--collagenase and dithioerythritol--urea--sodium dodecyl sulfate, (5) guanidine--collagenase and EDTA, (6) 10% NaCl and collagenase, and (7) NaCl--collagenase and EDTA. All elastin samples contained small amounts of carbohydrate and hydroxyproline. The lipid content of non-plaque intimal elastin samples was small (2--3%), whereas it increased to 4--6% in plaque intima. The lipid composition of elastin preparations varied significantly with the extraction procedure. Elastin from plaque intima contained significantly more cholesterol (50--60%) and less triglyceride and phospholipid than elastin of non-plaque intima (30--50% cholesterol). The contents of free and esterified cholesterol were comparable in all preparations. The main phospholipid in all samples was sphingomyelin, which comprised between 50 and 80% of the total phospholipid. Compared with NaOH-purified elastin, the other elastin samples were characterized by an increased phosphatidyl--choline content, while they all contained an almost equal amount of phosphatidylethanolamine. In elastin samples from plaque intima, the polar amino acids were increased, whereas cross-linking amino acids were decreased. The polarity and hydroxyproline content of elastin samples were slightly decreased after treatment with EDTA or dithioerythritol--urea--sodium dodecyl sulfate.