Non-oxidative modification of native low-density lipoprotein by oxidized low-density lipoprotein.

The oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, although little is known as yet about the precise mechanism of oxidation in vivo. The studies presented here demonstrate that, in the absence of cells or transition metals, oxidized LDL can modify native LDL through co-incubation in vitro such as to increase its net negative charge, in a concentration-dependent manner. The interaction is not inhibited by peroxyl radical scavengers or metal chelators, precluding the possibility that the modification of native LDL by oxidized LDL is through an oxidative process. Studies with radioiodinated oxidized LDL showed no transfer of radioactivity to the native LDL, demonstrating that fragmentation of protein and the transfer of some of the fragments does not account for the modified charge on the native LDL particle. The adjacency of native to oxidized LDL in the arterial wall may be a potential mechanism by which the altered recognition properties of the apolipoprotein B-100 may arise rapidly without oxidation or extensive modification of the native LDL lipid itself.