ApoB100 and Atherosclerosis: What’s New in the 21st Century?
Dimitris Kounatidis,
Natalia G. Vallianou,
Aikaterini Poulaki,
Angelos Evangelopoulos,
Fotis Panagopoulos,
Theodora Stratigou,
Eleni Geladari,
Irene Karampela,
Maria Dalamaga
Affiliations
Dimitris Kounatidis
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Hippokration General Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Natalia G. Vallianou
Department of Internal Medicine, Evangelismos General Hospital, 10676 Athens, Greece
Aikaterini Poulaki
Hematology Unit, Second Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Department of Internal Medicine, Evangelismos General Hospital, 10676 Athens, Greece
Theodora Stratigou
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Evangelismos General Hospital, 10676 Athens, Greece
Eleni Geladari
Department of Internal Medicine, Evangelismos General Hospital, 10676 Athens, Greece
Irene Karampela
Second Department of Critical Care, Attikon General University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
Maria Dalamaga
Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
ApoB is the main protein of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and is further divided into ApoB48 in the intestine and ApoB100 in the liver. Very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) is produced by the liver, contains ApoB100, and is metabolized into its remnants, intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). ApoB100 has been suggested to play a crucial role in the formation of the atherogenic plaque. Apart from being a biomarker of atherosclerosis, ApoB100 seems to be implicated in the inflammatory process of atherosclerosis per se. In this review, we will focus on the structure, the metabolism, and the function of ApoB100, as well as its role as a predictor biomarker of cardiovascular risk. Moreover, we will elaborate upon the molecular mechanisms regarding the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, and we will discuss the disorders associated with the APOB gene mutations, and the potential role of various drugs as therapeutic targets.
