E. Maggi et al., SPECIFICITY OF AUTOANTIBODIES AGAINST OXIDIZED LDL AS AN ADDITIONAL MARKER FOR ATHEROSCLEROTIC RISK, Coronary artery disease, 4(12), 1993, pp. 1119-1122
Background: LDL oxidation is a crucial step in the development and pro
gression of atherosclerotic lesions. The detection of an increase in t
he anti-oxidized LDL antibody titre may thus represent a biological ma
rker of enhanced LDL oxidation in vivo. Methods: The occurrence of ant
i-oxidized LDL autoantibodies was investigated in control patients, in
patients with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, in those witho
ut clinically relevant signs of atherosclerosis, but considered at ris
k, and in patients with chronic alcohol-related liver disease. Results
: Anti-oxidized LDL autoantibodies were present in the plasma of the m
ajority of patients with overt coronary atherosclerosis. An increased
antibody titre can also be detected well before the onset of clinicall
y relevant signs of the atherosclerotic disease in patients classicall
y considered at risk, indicating the occurrence of in-vivo LDL oxidati
on during atherosclerosis development. The specificity of molecular ta
rgets (LDL) for oxidative modifications is supported by the demonstrat
ion that anti-oxidized LDL autoantibodies are absent in the plasma of
alcoholic patients who exhibit a marked increase in biological markers
of oxidative stress but do not classically develop atherosclerosis. C
onclusion: These data demonstrate that the occurrence of anti-oxidized
LDL autoantibodies could be specifically related to the promotion and
progression of atherosclerosis and is not a simple epiphenomenon of a
ny oxidative process occurring in vivo.