LIPOPROTEIN(a) AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Chayanika Barman*, Rajesh Pandey, Jasbir Singh, K. S. Sodhi

ABSTRACT

Elevated lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] is an important risk parameter of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Its apoprotein, Apo (a), contains structural units similar to those present in plasminogen (a plasma protein that dissolves blood clots when activated). Lp(a) competes with plasminogen for binding with tissue plasminogen receptors and impairs the function of plasminogen. As a result minute clots grow large enough to cause blood vessel occlusion. Moreover, ox-Lp(a) is a potent stimulus of monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells, thus contributing to atherogenic changes in human blood vessels. Thus, higher serum levels (>30 mg/dl) of Lp(a) are deleterious and associated with an increased risk of CVD.

Keywords: Lipoprotein (a), cardiovascular disease, plasminogen, atherosclerosis.