Net cholesterol efflux from cholesterol-loaded macrophages, i.e., foam cells, was induced by incubating the foam cells with high density lipoprotein3 (HDL3). However, when the incubation system included rat serosal mast cells stimulated to trigger exocytosis of their cytoplasmic secretory granules, the ability of HDL3 to induce cholesterol efflux was largely lost. This loss was found to be due ...

Plasma lipid transfer proteins include plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP). Plasma CETP facilitates the transfer of cholesteryl ester (CE) from high-density lipoprotein (HDL) to apolipoprotein (apo) B-containing lipoproteins, and is a key protein in reverse cholesterol transport which protects vessel walls from atherosclerosis. The importanc...

Atherosclerosis is a progressive disease characterized by the appearance of inflamed lesions in the arterial wall. The main component of an atherosclerotic lesion is a cholesterol-filled macrophage (a foam cell). In addition, the inflamed intima contains numerous mast cells which, upon activation, acutely secrete serine proteases and other mediators that can influence the progression of atheros...

HDL protects against vascular disease by accepting free cholesterol from macrophage foam cells in the artery wall. This pathway is critically dependent on lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), which rapidly converts cholesterol to cholesteryl ester. The physiological activator of LCAT is apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), the major HDL protein. However, cholesterol removal is compromised if ap...

Atherosclerosis is characterized by a chronic inflammatory condition, in which numerous cellular and molecular inflammatory components are involved. A wide array of inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines and proteins produced by macrophages and other cells, play critical roles in the development and progression of the disease. ABCA1 is crucial for cellular cholesterol efflux and reverse chol...

OBJECTIVE Fish oil (FO), and specifically omega 3 fatty acids, has favorable effects on cardiovascular outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of FO on the process of macrophage reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) in an in vivo mouse model. METHODS AND RESULTS C57BL/6J mice were fed a FO diet, whereas control mice were fed diets containing alternative sources of fats, s...

Uptake of cholesterol from peripheral cells by nascent small HDL circulating in plasma is necessary to prevent atherosclerosis. This process, termed reverse cholesterol transport, produces larger cholesterol-rich HDL that transfers its cholesterol to the liver facilitating excretion. Most HDL in plasma is cholesterol-rich. We demonstrate that treating plasma with a novel selective delipidation ...