Skip Navigation

Cardiovascular Research 2000 45(4):874-882; doi:10.1016/S0008-6363(99)00389-2
© 2000 by European Society of Cardiology
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Mehrabi, M. R.
Right arrow Articles by Lang, I. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Mehrabi, M. R.
Right arrow Articles by Lang, I. M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Copyright © 2000, European Society of Cardiology

Accumulation of oxidized LDL in human semilunar valves correlates with coronary atherosclerosis

Mohammad Reza Mehrabia,*, Helmut Sinzingerb, Cem Ekmekciogluc, Forouzan Tamaddona, Karina Plescha, Helmut D Glogara, Gerald Maurera, Thomas Stefenellia and Irene Martha Langa

aDepartment of Cardiology, University of Vienna, and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cardiovascular Research, Vienna, Austria
bDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
cDepartment of Medical Physiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +43-1-40400-4614; fax: +43-1-408-1148 mmehrabi{at}pop3.kard.akh-wien.ac.at

Objective: Recent data indicate that oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) has several proatherogenic effects, e.g. induction of macrophage chemoattractants, adhesion molecules, cytokines, type-1 plasminogen activator inhibitor and platelet-derived growth factor A-chain by smooth muscle cells. Therefore, ox-LDL has been utilized as a marker of oxidative modification of proteins in atherosclerosis. Because heart valves consist of smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts and endothelial cells, and because valvular disease and coronary atherosclerosis could result from similar biological processes, we investigated ox-LDL accumulation in isolated aortic and pulmonary valves and coronary arteries from patients with angiographically proven coronary heart disease (CHD, n=19), patients with idiopathic congestive heart failure (IDCM=idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, n=20), and transplant donors. Methods: Masson–Goldner staining and immunohistochemistry utilizing anti ox-LDL and CD68 were performed on paraffin sections of freshly isolated semilunar valves. Data were analyzed by digital image planimetry and by visual scoring of staining intensity. Results: Ox-LDL immunoreactivity was identified in the vascular aspect of the attachment line, in the deep valve stroma, and in the ventricular and vascular endothelium of the semilunar valves, colocalizing with macrophages. Valvular ox-LDL area was significantly increased in CHD-patients (P<0.03) and IDCM-patients (P<0.04) compared with controls. More ox-LDL was accumulating in the pulmonary valves than in the aortic valves (P=0.04) as assessed by area and staining intensity. Valvular ox-LDL area in pulmonary valve and aortic valve was significantly correlated with ox-LDL accumulation in the intimal layer (P<0.001) and medial layer (P<0.001) of coronary arteries from the same patients. Conclusion: The data suggest that the biological process leading to ox-LDL accumulation in coronary atherosclerosis also involves heart valves. Therefore, accumulation of the oxidative stress marker ox-LDL in heart valves illustrates atherosclerosis as an additional mechanism accelerating valvular degeneration in these patients.

KEYWORDS Valve (disease); Atherosclerosis; Lipoproteins; Lipid metabolism; Cholesterol


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.