Plasma lipoproteins constitute a unique macromolecular system of lipid-protein complexes responsible for the transport of lipids from their sites of origin to their sites of utilization either as metabolic fuel or as structural components of cell membranes. Although studies on the role of lipoproteins in the mechanism of lipid transport are meritorious in their own right, the ever-increasing interest in chemical and functional properties of this remarkable class of conjugated proteins stems from the impressive evidence of their direct involvement in the genesis and develop- ment of...

The past two decades have seen steady progress in our understanding of the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The role of low density lipoprotein (LOL) increase and of LOL receptor deficiency or malfunctions in familial hypercholesterolemia has been largely enlightened by the works of Brown and Goldstein. These authors postulated also that modification of LOL to a form recognized by the scavenger or acetyl-LOL receptor may be required for lipid loading of macrophage-derived foam cells in the lesions. A growing body of evidence suggests that oxidative modification of LOL could enhance its...