ABSTRACT
Disturbed lipoprotein metabolism, and mainly elevated plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) concentration, is a major component of the guidelines for the prevention of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, plasma LDL-cholesterol levels are insufficient to identify individuals with incident CAD events because approximately 50% of all CAD events occur in subjects with normal or even low LDL-cholesterol levels.1 This has led to the hypothesis that other factors may be involved in the pathogenesis and progress of atherosclerosis and CAD. Recent advances in cardiovascular research point to a critical role of inflammatory processes in the etiology of CAD. Discovery of novel inflammatory biomarkers followed, which may be useful as additional screening tools for the identification of individuals at increased risk of CAD. One such novel inflammatory biomarker is platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-acetylhydrolase), also referred to as lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2). This chapter is focused on the main structural and catalytic features of plasma Lp-PLA2, on the association of the enzyme with distinct lipoprotein particle subspecies, on its cellular sources, and
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 35 Biochemical Characteristics of Lp-PLA2 ................................................................36 Cellular Sources of Human Plasma Lp-PLA2 ......................................................... 37 Role of Lp-PLA2 in Atherosclerosis ........................................................................ 38 Lp-PLA2 as a New Marker for Cardiovascular Risk ...............................................40 References ................................................................................................................40
finally on the potential significance of Lp-PLA2 in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
