Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
APPLICATIONS TO OTHER AREAS OF HEALTH AND
DISEASE
Although the pathological role of adhesion molecules in cardiovascular diseases
remains uncertain, some studies have postulated that serum levels of soluble
adhesion molecules can be useful risk predictors of cardiovascular events in healthy
populations as well as in people in various stages of disease. In large prospective
studies of healthy individuals, soluble ICAM-1 (but not soluble VCAM-1) appears
to be consistently related to incidents involving coronary artery disease. Soluble
VCAM-1 is considered to be the strongest predictor of future cardiovascular events
in individuals with coronary artery disease, diabetes, or unstable angina. Soluble
VCAM-1 is therefore a better marker of the extent and severity of atherosclerosis.
SUMMARY
• Interactions between lipoproteins and vascular endothelium are considered
to be a central component of the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and
cutaneous xanthomas.
• h e oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is an important process in
the pathogenesis and the oxidized LDL exists in the circulation and in the
lesions.
• Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) binds to endothelial receptors
(including scavenger receptors) and activates an intracellular signal
transduction pathway that induces the expression of adhesion molecules
on the surface of endothelial cells.
• Circulating monocytes adhere to the endothelial cells via the Ox-LDL-
induced adhesion molecules and subsequently transmigrate into the
lesions.
• h e mechanisms of adhesion molecule expression vary depending on the
process of LDL oxidation and the organ specii city of the endothelial cells.
Abbreviations
CLEVER-1
common lymphatic endothelial and vascular endothelial
receptor 1
CL-P1
collectin placenta 1
Cu-LDL
low-density lipoprotein oxidized by copper-ion
FEEL-1
fasciclin, epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like, laminin-type
EGF-like and link domain-containing scavenger receptor 1
G
i
-protein
inhibitory G protein
HAECs
human aortic endothelial cells
