Critical insights into cardiovascular disease from basic research on the oxidation of phospholipids: the γ-hydroxyalkenal phospholipid hypothesis.

Basic research, exploring the hypothesis that γ-hydroxyalkenal phospholipids are generated in vivo through oxidative cleavage of polyunsaturated phospholipids, is delivering a bonanza of molecular mechanistic insights into cardiovascular disease. Rather than targeting a specific pathology, these studies were predicated on the presumption that a fundamental understanding of lipid oxidation is likely to provide critical insights into disease processes. This investigational approach, from the chemistry of biomolecules to disease phenotype, that complements the more common opposite paradigm, is proving remarkably productive.