Description
Oxidized low-
density lipoprotein (oxLDL) particles contain low molecular weight species which promote the differentiation of monocytes and activate polymorphonuclear leukocytes.
1 One of these substances was recently isolated and purified from oxLDL, and identified as azelaoyl PC.
2 Butanoyl PAF is a closely related compound which retains at least 10% of the agonist potency of platelet-
activating factor (PAF) itself.
3 Further, butanoyl PAF is present in oxLDL in amounts more than 100 times greater than enzymatically generated PAF. Butanoyl PAF is therefore one of the important signalling molecules present in oxLDL.
References
1. Tontonoz, P., Nagy, L., Alvarez, J.G.A., et al. PPARγ promotes monocyte/macrophage differentiation and uptake of oxidized LDL Cell 93(2),241-252(1998).
2. Davies, S.S., Pontsler, A.V., Marathe, G.K., et al. Oxidized alkyl phospholipids are specific, high affinity peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ ligands and agonists J. Biol. Chem. 276,16015-16023(2001).
3. Marathe, G.K., Davies, S.S., Harrison, K.A., et al. Inflammatory platelet-activating factor-like phospholipids in oxidized low density lipoproteins are fragmented alkyl phosphatidylcholines J. Biol. Chem. 274,28395-28404(1999).