OBJECTIVES It has been demonstrated that the deleterious effect of smoking on the cardiovascular system is mediated through a decrease in protective HDL cholesterol. In addition, women are more sensitive to the negative effects of smoking, although the exact mechanism underlying this phenomenon is currently unknown. In this study, we evaluated whether smoking habits could modify the association...

Despite the efficacy in reducing acute rejection events in organ transplanted subjects, long term therapy with cyclosporine A is associated with increased atherosclerotic cardiovascular morbidity. We studied whether this drug affects the antiatherogenic process of the reverse cholesterol transport from macrophages in vivo. Cyclosporine A 50 mg/kg/d was administered to C57BL/6 mice by subcutaneo...

We seek to establish whether high-density lipoprotein HDL metabolism and reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) impairment is an intrinsic feature of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). RCT from macrophages (m-RCT), a vascular cell type major influence on atherosclerosis, impaired in FH due defective low-density receptor (LDLR) function via both the HDL- LDL-mediated pathways. Potential mechanisms...