What are atherogenic lipoproteins?

Atherogenic lipoproteins are molecules that carry cholesterol in the bloodstream. They differ from other lipids due to the tendency to accumulate in blood vessels and block circulation, causing cardiovascular disease. Most often these lipids come from high cholesterol food intake. They also create embolisms that lead to blocking vessels, heart attacks and strokes. Some individuals may have genetic predisposition for higher than average levels of atherogenic lipoproteins in their blood.

lipoproteins are molecules that transport lipids in the bloodstream. Lipoproteins with low density (LDL) are atherogenic and are called "bad" type of cholesterol. LDL carries most of the cholesterol in blood serum and is the main lipid that accumulates in arterial plaques. Lipoproteins with a high density (HDL), on the other hand, carry LDL cholesterol from the bloodstream to the liver, where it is metabolized and cannot block blood vessels.

Atherogenesis is the creation of hardened plaques, producedLipids inside the arteries. This is due to atherogenic lipoproteins such as LDL, oxidized by molecules of free radicals. When these particles connect to the arterial wall, inflammation occurs when the immune system tries to repair damage. Over time, this leads to atherosclerosis because more arteries are shrinking and blocking, causing cardiovascular disease, a major cause of death in an industrialized world.

In some cases, smaller pieces of plaque can break free from a blocked container and circulate in the bloodstream. These fragments, called embolism, include atherogenic lipoproteins. Some cause strokes or heart attacks if they are stored in the main blood vessel. In addition to LDL, embolus may contain other lipids and cells made of inflammatory reaction inside the blood vessel. In some cases plaques that fully blocked the coasts can eventually carry into a critical position in another and fromcause serious damage or death.

Some tissues of storage lipids are potentially atherogenic. For example, a large part of the fat in the body is stored in adipose tissue as triglycerides. These molecules are generally kept outside blood circulation and are not atherogenic in a strict sense. But some lipoproteins with triglycerides also contain LDL cholesterol and therefore contribute to the formation of arterial plaques. For this reason, high levels of blood triglycerides can be interpreted as an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

At the end of the 20th century, some scientific studies indicated that people with coronary arteries may have another type of atherogenic lipoprotein circulating. Other studies suggest that the hereditary phenotype caused these patients to have small, dense LDL particles that increased their risk of disease. It is called a small, dense phenotype of LDL, usually there are also endothelial diseases in their lining of the blood vessels and with reduced HDL levels.