title: Lipid accumulation in the subendothelial cells of human aortic intima impairs cell-to-cell contacts: A comparative study in situ and in vitro.
abstract: We have modified our technique used to examine the three-dimensional cytoarchitecture of human aorta. Using this modification we confirmed the disruption of the contacts among subendothelial cells in the fatty streaks. Thinning and arborization of contact-forming cellular processes were also demonstrated. The incubation of cultured human aortic subendothelial cells with desialylated low-density lipoproteins (LDL), LDL immobilized on latex, and LDL-free latex microspheres induced the alterations in cell-to-cell contacts similar to those occurring in a fatty streak in situ. It is proposed that these alterations may be associated with lipid accumulation and activation of phagocytosis and/or intracellular accumulation of large insoluble particles.
authors.affiliation: From the Institute of Experimental Cardiology, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Rekhter
authors.forename: V V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Tertov
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Andreeva
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Kolpakov
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Mironov
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Orekhov