Scavenger receptors and oxidized low density lipoproteins.

Oxidized LDL has been shown to exhibit a number of potentially proatherogenic actions and properties, including receptor-mediated uptake and lipid accumulation within macrophages. It has been postulated that rapid, unregulated uptake of oxidatively modified LDL could account for the transformation of monocyte-derived macrophages to foam cells in atherosclerotic lesions. In support of this hypothesis, oxidized LDL and lipid peroxidation products have been shown to exist in atheromas in vivo. Furthermore, a number of cell membrane proteins that can bind oxidized LDL with high affinity have been identified on the surface of macrophages, endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells. One characteristic that almost all of these 'scavenger receptors' share is the ability to bind with high affinity to a broad spectrum of structurally unrelated ligands. Of all of the different classes of scavenger receptors that have been identified, the scavenger receptor class A type I/II (SR-AI/II) has received the most attention. Studies with macrophages from mice deficient in the gene for SR-AI/II provide direct evidence that a receptor other than the SR-AI/II is responsible for most of the uptake of oxidized LDL in murine macrophages. This article provides an overview of the characterization and functions of the scavenger receptors that have been shown to interact with oxidized LDL, including SR-AI/II, CD36, SR-BI, macrosialin/CD68, LOX-1, and SREC. Isolation and characterization of these and other scavenger receptors has increased our understanding of their role in the uptake of oxidized LDL and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.