Structure of cholesterol-containing particles accumulating in atherosclerotic lesions and the mechanisms of their derivation.

Structural and chemical modifications of plasma lipoproteins retained in atherosclerotic lesions, especially LDL, are a characteristic of atherogenesis. The major cholesterol-containing structures believed to be derived primarily from LDL are monomeric or aggregated native or modified LDL particles, cholesteryl ester droplets, liposomes rich in unesterified cholesterol, and ceroid-lipofuscin. They are suggested to be formed primarily from LDL by combinations of oxidation, hydrolysis by proteases and esterases, fusion of neutral lipid components, and covalent interactions between lipid and protein components of oxidized LDL in lysosomes. Although many of these structures appear to be refractory to removal by reverse cholesterol transport mechanisms, they may possess functional properties that still need to be elucidated.