Affiliations: Department of Medicine and Department of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine, St.Louis, MO 63110, USA
Note: [] Correspondence to: Jay W. Heinecke, Division of Atherosclerosis, Nutrition and Lipid Research, Box 8046, 660 S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. Fax: +1 314 362 0811; E‐mail: heinecke@im.wustl.edu.
Abstract: Many lines of evidence implicate oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease. The physiologically relevant mechanisms have not been identified, but phagocytic white cells may play an important role because macrophage‐rich lesions characterize the disorder. Recent studies have shown that myeloperoxidase, a heme enzyme secreted only by phagocytes, is present in human atherosclerotic tissue. The enzyme is a potent catalyst of LDL oxidation in vitro, it co‐localizes with macrophages in lesions, and it generates products that are detectable in atherosclerotic plaque. These findings suggest that myeloperoxidase may promote LDL oxidation in the artery wall. This article reviews the enzyme’s ability to generate a range of oxidants, including tyrosyl radical, reactive aldehydes, hypochlorous acid and molecular chlorine. These products have the potential to damage host molecules as well as microbes, suggesting a mechanism that may contribute to atherosclerotic vascular disease.
