Effects of oxidized low-density lipoprotein on vascular contraction and relaxation: clinical and pharmacological implications in atherosclerosis.

Oxidized LDL exerts profound effects on the vasomotor response of isolated blood vessels to various stimuli that closely mimic the vascular dysfunction associated with hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis in humans. The beneficial effect of lipid-lowering therapy in normalizing vascular function and greatly decreasing the frequency of clinical events associated with atherosclerosis, combined with the ability of antioxidants to alleviate vasomotor disturbances in hypercholesterolemia and slow the progression of atherosclerosis, strongly support a causative role of oxidized LDL in mediating vascular dysfunction in vivo and contributing to the clinical sequalae of coronary artery disease. Further research to understand more fully the mechanisms of oxidized LDL formation and actions in vivo may reveal novel strategies to inhibit these events, and may prove beneficial in the therapeutic management of atherosclerotic disease.