Enhancement of high-density lipoprotein-associated protease inhibitor activity prevents atherosclerosis progression.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Inflammatory cells within atherosclerotic lesions secrete proteolytic enzymes that contribute to lesion progression and destabilization, increasing the risk for an acute cardiovascular event. Elastase is a serine protease, secreted by macrophages and neutrophils, that may contribute to the development of unstable plaque. We previously reported interaction of endogenous protease-inhibitor proteins with high-density lipoprotein (HDL), including alpha-1-antitrypsin, an inhibitor of elastase. These findings support a potential role for HDL as a modulator of protease activity. In this study, we test the hypothesis that enhancement of HDL-associated elastase inhibitor activity is protective against atherosclerotic lesion progression.

Methods

We designed an HDL-

SUBMITTER: Mobilia M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11404725 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature