Caitlin Cleary Biochemistry Spring ‘12

What is it? A type of arteriosclerosis characterized by changes in the endothelial lining and the formation of a plaque Occurs in people whose blood contains elevated levels of plasma lipids, such as cholesterol Causes chest pain, heart attack, and stroke Can lead to coronary artery disease

How does it occur?

Inflammation Promotes initiation and development of atherosclerosis, and therefore contributes to fast forming acute blood clots Inflammation can be triggered by: Infection Obesity Hypertension

Who is at risk? Everyone! By the time young adults reach their 30s, some degree of atherosclerosis has developed in 80 to 90% of people in the united states Nearly 50% of the US population has elevated LDL cholesterol

Prevention Start monitoring for risk factors in adolescents Fasting Lipid Profile Evaluate for hypertension Screen for diabetes Screen for metabolic syndrome Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet Physical activity Cessation of smoking

Current Treatments Dietary supplements and herbal preparations are questionable LDL Cholesterol-Lowering Therapies Statins Ezetimibe Eicosapentaenoic acid from Fish Oil Niacin

Future Treatment? Oral Anit-CD3 Antibody Treatment Study Treated mice with 5 microgram dosage of anti-CD3 antibody for 5 days 50% reduction in lesion formation 38% reduction in accumulation of macrophages 30% decrease in T-cell infiltration

Works Cited Campbell, Mary K., & Farrell, Shawn O. (2012). Biochemistry. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. Lewis, Sandra J. (2009). Prevention and Treatment of Atherosclerosis: A Practitioner’s Guide for The American Journal of Medicine, 122(1A), Libby, Peter., Ridker, Paul M., & Maseri, Attilio. (2002). Inflammation and Atherosclerosis. Journal of the American Heart Association, 105, Sasaki, Naoto., Yamashita, Tomoya., Takeda, Masafumi., Shinohara, Masakazu., Nakajima, Kenji., Tawa, Hideto., et al. (2009). Oral Anti-CD3 Antibody Treatment Reduces Regulatory T Cells and Inhibits the Development of Atherosclerosis in Mice. Journal of the American Heart Association, 120,