Antioxidants and atherosclerosis: a molecular perspective.

Current models of atherogenesis link abnormalities in the oxidative state of the vascular wall with interactions with the immune system, leading to a cycle of localized inflammatory and growth responses that result in the characteristics of the mature atherosclerotic lesion. The oxidative modification of LDL may be an important manifestation and mediator of this process, although the degree to which this contributes to atherogenesis has not been directly assessed. Another important mechanism may involve the linkage of the oxidative state of the vascular endothelial cell, through specific transcriptional regulatory factors, to control the expression of a gene involved in this disease process. This further expands the idea of oxidative stress as an important regulatory signal in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and provides important paradigms for the development of novel therapeutic treatment regimens, drug design, and diagnostic assessments of disease state.