Scavenger Receptor-Independent Stimulation of Cholesterol Esterification in Macrophages by Low Density Lipoprotein Extracted From

There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that modification of low density lipoprotein (LDL) in the artery wall may contribute to atherogenesis. A number of physiologically plausible modifications have been studied in vitro, including oxidation, aggregation, formation of complexes with giycosaininoglycans, and generation of LDL—immune complexes. Several studies of the properties of LDL extracted from the aortic intima have been published, but these indicate disagreement about both the nature and the extent of modification of LDL in the artery wall. The objectives of the present study were to determine the nature and extent of modification of LDL extracted from both normal and diseased human aortic intimas and to correlate this with the rate of LDL uptake in cultured cells. Analyses were performed on LDLs isolated from aortic intimas obtained at autopsy or at the time of organ harvest from 33 subjects. LDL from normal intima showed no clear evidence of oxidation but had slightly increased electrophoretic mobility compared with native plasma LDL, whereas LDL from plaques or fatty streaks exhibited variable but usually modest signs of oxidative change. Aortic LDL was more rapidly degraded by cultured macrophages than was plasma LDL and resulted in a greater stimulation of cholesterol esterification. The degree of stimulation of cholesterol esterification was correlated with the extent of modification of LDL as reflected by the degree of apolipoprotein B fragmentation. However, in all aortic LDLs the extent of oxidative change, as assesse