Immunological detection of low-density lipoproteins modified by malondialdehyde in vitro or in vivo.

We describe an ELISA technique able to recognize malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoproteins (LDL). For this purpose we produced antibodies to malondialdehyde-LDL, specific for the malondialdehyde modification of LDL; these antibodies recognized essentially malondialdehyde-LDL. Coating ELISA plates with the antibodies to malondialdehyde-LDL and using peroxidase-labelled antibodies to LDL, which reveal only apolipoprotein B, we obtained an accurate method of detecting malondialdehyde-modified apolipoprotein B. Preliminary studies demonstrated that this method allows the detection of lipoproteins containing malondialdehyde-modified apolipoprotein B in the serum of patients with cardiovascular diseases.