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Subfractions of apo B-containing lipoproteins (VLDL and intermediate-density lipoproteins) with reduced content of sialic acid were found in human blood. These lipoproteins are characterized by high capacity to spontaneous association (aggregation) and stimulated accumulation of cholesterol in smooth muscle cells of human aortic intima. In vitro treatment of apo B-containing lipoproteins with alpha-2,6-sialidase and alpha-2,3-sialidase stimulated aggregation and increased the ability of these particles to potentiate cholesterol accumulation in smooth muscle cells of the intact human aortic intima. Probably, desialylation of various apo B-containing lipoproteins can occur in the blood; this process decreases their resistance to aggregation, and increases the ability of these particles to stimulate accumulation of cholesterol in human aortic intima cells, i.e. increases their atherogenic potential.

Hypochlorite produced in vivo by activated neutrophils, monocytes, and macrophages modifies blood lipoproteins and intensifies free radical lipid peroxidation, which probably plays a key role in the early stages of atherosclerotic vascular damages.

Hypochlorite seems to inhibit platelet aggregation in the platelet-rich plasma (PRP) by modifying fibrinogen receptors. The hypochlorite-inactivated isolated platelets are completely repaired by native plasma. Platelet aggregation in PRP is suppressed by hypochlorite by its direct interaction with cells and indirectly due to plasma modification. The indirect action of hypochlorite is a reversible reaction between the platelet active groups and the products of plasma modification. The reaction may involve sulphur-containing groups. The spin-probe method shows that hypochlorite penetrates into the lipid phase of human blood lipoproteins. It initiates lipid peroxidation and causes the disturbance of the lipid structure and the protein please.

Oxidation of human plasma lipoprotein (LP) was studied in the presence of exogenous hypochlorite anion (OCl-) or OCl- generated in the "myeloperoxidase + H2O2 + Cl-" system. OCl- effectively initiates peroxidation of lipids extracted from LP and those within LP particles, as can be judged from accumulation of secondary (thiobarbituric acid [TBA] reactive) and final (Schiff bases) products of lipid peroxidation (LPO) in LP after incubation with myeloperoxidase or exogenous OCl-. Very low density and low density lipoproteins classified as atherogenic LP are more sensitive to OCl(-)-induced LPO than high density lipoproteins. These data allow us to propose that OCl- secreted by activated neutrophils and monocyte-macrophages can produce oxidative modification of LP in vivo. The latter is known as a risk factor in the development of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerotic lesion of the aorta and lipid peroxidation (LPO) in blood and in lipoproteins produced in hepatocytes were studied in rabbits with experimental atherosclerosis maintained on a diet enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids containing in corn oil (2 ml/kg daily during 30 days) and antioxidants alpha-tocopherol and carnosine (2.5 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg, respectively, daily during 30 days). This diet exhibited a hypocholesterolemic effect accompanied by approximately a 10-fold decrease of the impaired aortic area, as well as lowered content of 2-thiobarbituric acid-positive LPO products occurring in blood and, especially, in apoB lipoproteins. The antioxidant-containing diet decreased distinctly the content of LPO products both in the liver tissue homogenate and lipoprotein fraction (d < 1.065 g/cm3) produced by hepatocytes during 30-min perfusion of liver tissue. The findings suggest that the diet enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants contributed to a decrease of LPO products content in the blood serum and apoB lipoproteins as well as to the inhibition of lipoprotein oxidation during their synthesis in liver cells; the diet may be recommended for the prophylaxis and treatment of atherosclerosis.

It is shown in rabbits, that alimentary hypercholesterolemia proceeds with increasing lipid peroxidation in liver homogenate, blood serum and apo-B-containing lipoproteins. It is established in the model of liver perfusion in rabbits, that liver cells produce apo-B-containing level of lipid peroxidation. The lipid peroxidation increases in perfusate and in the fraction of lipoproteins (d less than 1,065 g/cm3) from this perfusate. Lipid peroxidation can interfere in the changing of physicochemical characteristics of lipoproteins at the stage of synthesis and secretion of lipoproteins by liver cells.

The activation of freshly isolated human blood monocytes and neutrophils monitored by oxidized human plasma lipoproteins (LP) was measured by detecting luminol-amplified chemiluminescence. The activation was accompanied by production of superoxide radicals. This finding was confirmed by measuring superoxide dismutase-sensitive reduction of cytochrome c. Incubation of monocytes or neutrophils with low-density lipoproteins (LDL) resulted in the accumulation of lipid peroxidation (LPO) products which were assayed by the 2-thiobarbituric acid test. Data from inhibitory analysis suggest that the hydroxyl radical scavenger, mannitol, had no appreciable effect on the accumulation of LPO products during the incubation of LDL with either cell type. However, catalase, superoxide dismutase, the metal ion chelators desferrioxamine and EDTA, as well as the free radical scavenger, butylated hydroxytoluene, markedly decreased the accumulation of LPO products in the medium--by 88%, 67%, 38%, 52%, and 47%, respectively, after incubation of LDL with monocytes, and by 65%, 47%, 41%, 65%, and 100% after incubation of LDL with neutrophils. These results indicate that activation of monocytes and neutrophils by oxidized LP intensifies LPO which proceeds via a free-radical mechanism that is superoxide-dependent and is catalyzed by transition metals.

An electron spin probe study was made of the effect of lipid peroxidation (LPO) on the structure of surface proteolipid layer of human serum low-density lipoproteins (LDL). The results obtained with a positively charged spin label and stearic acid spin probes with doxyl labels at positions 5, 12, and 16 revealed that LPO caused a decrease in phospholipid molecule mobility both in the region of polar heads and in the region of acyl chains till the depth of at least 1.7 mm from water-lipid interface. Under relatively high levels of oxidation (more than 6 mumol MDA/g LDL phospholipid) the polarity of lipid phase increased. The decrease in efficiency of tryptophan fluorescence quenching by nitroxide fragments incorporated in hydrophobic regions at the depth of approximately 2 nm from water-lipid interface indicated that lipid-protein interaction was disturbed as a result of oxidation of LDL lipids. In addition, the LPO-induced modification of apo-B, the main protein of LDL, was examined with maleimide spin label. LPO led to increase in mobility of strongly immobilized maleimide labels and in the number of weakly immobilized ones. Oxidized LDL revealed decreased ability to incorporate spin-labeled steroid (androstane) as compared to native ones. LPO-induced structural changes of LDL surface are supposed to be a reason of enhanced accumulation of cholesterol in human monocytes during their incubation with oxidized LDL. The cholesterol content in red cells was shown to be directly correlated to MDA content in apo-B containing lipoproteins but not in whole serum. Our findings suggest that free radical modification of serum lipoproteins but not solely an increased level of LPO products in blood is one important cause for cholesterol accumulation in cells and, apparently, for their transformation into foam cells during atherosclerosis.

Changes in lipoprotein surface potentials were studied by a positively charged analog as a spin probe. Low density lipoproteins (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (subfractions HDL2 and HDL3) of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) were studied. CHD patients have revealed a significant decrease (by 14.4 +/- 0.3 mV) in LDL and an increase (by 6.3 +/- 2.0 mV) in HDL3 negative surface potential, as compared to the control. The increase in HDL2 surface potential in CHD patients was insignificant (1.9 +/- +/- 2.5 mV). The possible role of LDL and HDL3 surface potential changes in the mechanism of interaction of these types of lipoproteins with vascular wall and blood cellular membranes and in pathogenesis of CHD and atherosclerosis is discussed.

Human erythrocytes were incubated for 5 h at 37 degrees C with lipoproteins (LP), preliminary oxidized to different extent, as assessed by thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test. Cholesterol content in the cells was increased by 12-14% after incubation with low-density lipoproteins (LDL) along with augmentation of order parameter and rotational correlation time of spin-labeled stearic acids incorporated into membranes. If erythrocytes were incubated with oxidized LDL, containing 2.5-4 times more TBA-reactive material than native ones, cellular content of cholesterol was increased by 24-28%. In contrast, high-density lipoproteins (HDL2 and HDL3) removed cholesterol from cell membranes, when incubated with erythrocytes. This was followed by increased fluidity of membrane lipid phase as detected by the spin probe method. Oxidation of HDL2 and HDL3 decreased their ability to accept cholesterol from cell membranes. No detectable accumulation of TBA-reactive material was observed in the samples during the incubation. The antioxidant, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), in the concentration of 10(-5) M did not influence the cholesterol transfer between LP and erythrocytes. Hence, the effects of lipid peroxidation (LPO) on the cholesterol transfer seem to result from LP alterations by oxidation rather than from free radical reactions occurring during the incubation. By increasing cholesterol-donating ability of LDL and inhibition of cholesterol-accepting capacity of HDL lipid peroxidation in LP may activate cholesterol accumulation in blood vessel cells and thus contribute to atherosclerosis.

Structural properties of lipoprotein organization in blood plasma of the patients with ischemic heart disease have been studied by means of electronic paramagnetic resonance method, using a derivate of stearic acid (5-doxylsteararte) as a spin probe. Significant differences in the patterns of thermo-induced structural reorganizations of all the lipoprotein types in normal and pathological states were shown. However, these differences were not found in the lipids isolated from the lipoproteins. In high density lipoproteins HDL2 and HDL3 from blood plasma of the patients with ischemic heart disease a decrease in the micro-environment polarity was shown to take place at the depth of 8 A from the lipoprotein surface. The data obtained suggest the distinct changes in structural organization of all the lipoprotein types in heart ischemic disease, which appear to occur as a result of modification of apoproteins and/or protein-lipid interactions in lipoproteins.

Structural properties of blood plasma lipoproteins (LP) from coronary heart disease (CHD) patients were examined. Substantial differences were found in the pattern of the heat-induced structural restitution of LP of all classes in health and disease. At the same time no such differences were discovered in lipids isolated from LP. In high density lipoproteins from the plasma of CHD patients, a decrease in the microenvironmental polarity was shown to take place at a depth of 8 A from the surface of LP. The data obtained indicate substantial changes in the structural organization of LP of all classes in CHD. It is assumed that these changes are consequent on the modification of apoproteins and/or protein-lipid interactions in LP.

Surface potential of human plasma lipoproteins was studied by the use of positively charged spin probe. The calculated values of surface potential of high and low density lipoproteins appeared to be -29 +/- 1 and -16 +/- 1 respectively. It was shown that lipid peroxidation process induces an increase of surface potential of both high and low density lipoproteins. Probably, it is connected with the increase of the negative charge density on their surface. This fact can play an important role in pathogenesis of diseases with lipid metabolism and lipid peroxidation level disorders in plasma (atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease etc.).

The thermo-induced structural changes in lipoproteins (LP) of human plasma were investigated by the electron paramagnetic resonance method, using 5-doxylstearate as a spin probe. LP were shown to undergo thermotropic transformations at temperatures specific for each LP type. Differences were found in the nature of temperature dependences of the order parameter for the probe localized in LP and for isolated lipids. The denser the LP, the more pronounced the differences. 5-Doxylstearate was shown to be localized not only in the lipid phase of LP, but also in the area of the protein--lipid contact. This indicates that 5-doxylstearate is a useful tool for the study of protein--lipid interactions in pathological processes coupled with their modifications.

We studied the effect of pluronics P85, L61, and F68 with different hydrophilic-lipophilic characteristics on association of LDL. It was found that pluronics with pronounced hydrophobic properties (P85 and L61) in concentrations close to or surpassing the critical concentration of micelle formation inhibited LDL association, while hydrophilic pluronic F68 in all concentrations had no effect on LDL association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, we have shown that leukocytic myeloperoxidase (MPO) in the presence of its substrates (H2O2 and Br−) does not induce any changes in saturated 1,2-dipalmitoyl- sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. Incubation of liposomes prepared from mono-unsaturated phosphatidylcholine (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl- sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) with the (MPO + H2O2 + Br−) system resulted in formation of bromohydrins as the main products. 1-Palmitoyl-2-hydroxy- sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (lysophosphatidylcholine) was the main product of the reaction of polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine (1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl- sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) with the (MPO + H2O2 + Br−) system. The formation of lysophospholipids as well as of bromohydrins was not observed when the enzyme or one of its substrates (H2O2 or Br−) was absent from the incubation medium, or if an inhibitor of MPO (sodium azide) or hypobromite scavengers (taurine or methionine) were added. Thus, it can be postulated that the formation of bromohydrins as well as lysophospholipids by the (MPO + H2O2 + Br−) system results from reactions of hypobromite formed during MPO catalysis with double bonds of acyl chains of phosphatidylcholine. Such destructive processes may take place in vivo in membrane-or lipoprotein-associated unsaturated lipids in centers of inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]