Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1, a new promising target for the therapy of atherosclerosis?

Endothelial activation and dysfunction induced by oxidized modified low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) is one of the key steps in the initiation of atherosclerosis. Recent studies have shown that a new lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) mediates the recognition and internalization of ox-LDL. LOX-1 is the main receptor for ox-LDL and may play an important role in the pathogenesis of hypertension, diabetes, and, especially, of atherosclerosis. The potential role of LOX-1 in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis includes: endocytosis of ox-LDL, expression co-location with atherosclerosis enhanced by atherosclerosis-related risk factors, elevated LOX-1 protein in cardiovascular disease, effects related to atherosclerosis and eliminated by antiatherosclerotic drugs. Identification and regulation of LOX-1 and understanding its signal transduction pathways might improve our insight toward the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and provide a selective treatment approach. LOX-1 might be a potential and promising target for the development of novel antiatherosclerotic drugs. However, due to limited knowledge about LOX-1, there are still many questions to be answered.