Camejo · Atherosclerosis 1998 · narrative review · n=?

Association of apo B lipoproteins with arterial proteoglycans: pathological significance and molecular basis.

Cited 334 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Narrative review of in vitro, ex vivo, and mechanistic studies without systematic review methodology.

PubMed 9712326 · doi:10.1016/s0021-9150(98)00107-5 · record verified 2026-08-30

What was done

This narrative review summarizes in vitro, ex vivo, and observational mechanistic evidence on how apolipoprotein B-100 (apo B-100) lipoproteins, primarily LDL and Lp(a), bind to arterial intima proteoglycans and promote atherogenesis.

What was found

The abstract reports no numerical values, effect estimates, or sample sizes. Qualitatively, it reports that: - Specific positively charged regions of apo B-100 bind negatively charged glycosaminoglycans (chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, and likely heparan sulfate) in the arterial intima. - Small, dense LDL exhibits a higher affinity for chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans than larger buoyant LDL. - Proteoglycan binding induces irreversible structural alterations in LDL, enhancing oxidative and hydrolytic modification and accelerating uptake by macrophages and smooth muscle cells. - LDL from patients with coronary heart disease or an atherogenic lipoprotein phenotype shows higher affinity for arterial proteoglycans, which can be modified by diet or pharmacological interventions.

Why it matters

It outlines the molecular basis of the response-to-retention model of atherosclerosis, linking small, dense LDL subfractions to increased arterial matrix entrapment and lesion development.

Limits

No quantitative data, sample sizes, or statistical metrics are reported in the abstract. The paper is a narrative synthesis of in vitro and ex vivo bench models lacking systematic review methodology.

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