Atherosclerosis etiology

Methyl-tetrahydro folic acid is furthermore, together with vitamin B12 and B6, required to regenerate homocysteine (see Vitamin B12, Fig. 1). Homocysteine results when methionine is used as a substrate for methyl group transfer. During the last few years, homocysteine has been acknowledged as an independent risk factor in atherosclerosis etiology. Folic acid supplementation can help reduce elevated homocysteine plasma levels and is therefore supposed to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis as well [2]. 

Convincing evidence indicates that ROS generated both endogenously and also in response to diet and lifestyle factors may play a significant role in the etiology of atherosclerosis and CHD. Indeed, free radicals are responsible for LDL oxidation, which is involved in the initiation and promotion of atherosclerosis. Thus, protection from LDL oxidation by antioxidants such as carotenoids may lead to protection against human CHD. 

Ischemic strokes account for 88% of all strokes and are due either to local thrombus formation or to emboli that occlude a cerebral artery. Cerebral atherosclerosis is a causative factor in most cases of ischemic stroke, although 30% are of unknown etiology. Emboli can arise either from intra- or extracranial arteries. Twenty percent of embolic strokes arise from the heart. 

Carr, C. J., Talbot, J. M. and Fisher, K. D. 1975. A review of the significance of bovine milk xanthine oxidase in the etiology of atherosclerosis. Life Science Research Office, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Bethesda, Md. (Prepared for the Food and Drug Administration, Washington, D. C., Contract No. FDA 223-75-2090.)... 

Elevated serum cholesterol levels are invariably associated with the etiology of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease, and it has been shown by several investigators that pectin from a variety of sources when supplemented in the diet of a number of laboratory animals, as well as human volunteers, causes lowering... 

The significance of the observed interaction between pectin and LDL, and further biochemical elucidation of this interaction, has direct relevance to the etiology and/or cure of atherosclerosis. The role of dietary pectin in lowering of serum and liver cholesterol levels is well established. However, the biochemical basis by which dietary pectin, which is composed of... 

Disorders in lipoprotein metabolism are critical in the etiology of several disease states, such as coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis. Thus, there is considerable interest in the development of novel methods for the analysis of lipoprotein complexes. A simple chromatographic method for the separation of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) from intact serum or plasma has been reported recently [65]. The separation was achieved by using an hydroxyapatite column and elution with pH 7.4 phosphate buffer with lOOpl injections of whole... 

Some overlap exists between the clinical classification (Bamford et al. 1991) and the etiological TOAST classification. In a large hospital-based series of patients with ischemic stroke, total and partial anterior circulation infarcts were most likely to be caused by large artery atherosclerosis, cardioembolism or both (Wardlaw et al. 1999). 

However, the reduction in coronary heart disease risk was substantially less than the maximum anticipated benefit/ perhaps reflecting the fact that atherosclerosis is a chronic and largely irreversible process with a multifactorial etiology. 

Even though the mortality from coronary heart disease has declined recently, atherosclerosis and related vascular disorders still are the leading cause of death in the Western world. The etiology of this disease is multifactorial, with hyperlipidemia, smoking, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and obesity being well-established risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis. Dietary fat affects plasma lipids, lipoproteins, and vascular inflammation and, thus, is linked to atherosclerosis. 

Injury to or abnormal mechanisms of the vascular endothelium may be initiating events in the etiology of atherosclerosis. 

V.Z.Lankin, A.M. Vikhert, A.K.Tikhaze, S.M.Sogoian and T.N.Bondar , The role of lipid peroxidation in the etiology and pathogenesisof atherosclerosis (review), Vopr.Med.Khim. (Problems Med.Chem.) 35 (1989) 18-24. [Article in Russian]... 

Introduction - This review will present recent developments on the etiology and treatment of atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia and cholelithiasis. The other major lipid disorder, obesity, has recently been reviewed as to pathogenesis and treatment,1 new efficacy trials and mechanism of action studies on anorectic agents,2 5 and appetite regulation in normal and abnormal states.3 6... 

Heart failure affects an estimated 4.9 million Americans, and approximately 400,000 new case are diagnosed each year (see Chap. 14). Cardiac transplant candidates typically are patients with end-stage heart failure who have New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or IV symptoms despite maximal medical management and have an expected 1 -year mortality risk of 25% or greater without a transplant. Idiopathic cardiomyopathy and ischemic heart disease account for heart failure in almost 90% heart transplant recipients. Other less common etiologies include valvular disease (4%), retransplantation for graft atherosclerosis or dysfunction (2%), and congenital heart disease (1.5%). 

In recent years, a considerable body of research has been carried out on the effects of oxidation products of cholesterol on the etiology of atherosclerosis (Hubbard et al., 1989). However, cholesterol oxides are formed to a negligible extent in cheese under normal conditions of manufacture, ripening, and storage (Sunder et al., 1988). 

Cholesterol Lowering Influence of Pectin Several Investigators (7-9) have clearly suggested that pectin when supplemented In the diet of laboratory animals and/or human volunteers causes significant reduction In serum cholesterol levels. This, Indeed, Is an Important observation, as It has been shown that the etiology of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease Is associated with elevated serum cholesterol levels, and the observed reduction of serum cholesterol level by pectin holds promise for the treatment and/or prevention of these diseases. It Is relevant here to point out that dietary pectin has shown to retard Induced avian atherosclerosis (10). 

Davignon, J. (1977) Current Views on the Etiology and Pathogenesis of Atherosclerosis, in Hypertension Phys-iopathology and Treatment (Genest, J., Koiw, E., and Kiichel, O., eds.) pp. 961-989, McGraw-Hill, New York. 

However, most pathological conditions, believed to involve derangements in the thromboxane biosynthesis - or in the thromboxane/prostacyclin balance - concern the cardiovascular system. A large number of diseases affecting this organ system have been studied in this respect, i.e. atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease with angina of various etiologies, thrombotic disorders, hemostatic defects, circulatory shock, ulcerative diseases, and so on. The possible roles of thromboxane and prostacyclin in the cardiovascular system have been discussed in several reviews, e.g. refs. 32, 33, 348-354. 

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