[Atherosclerosis as a problem of general biology: cell adaptation to deficiency of essential fatty acids]

It is suggested that intracellular deficiency of polyenic fatty acids (FA) is the biochemical basis of atherosclerosis. Its cause in the presence of abundant blood polyenic FA as cholesterol esters (cholesterol-esterified polyenic FA) is blockade of apoB-100-receptor endocytosis. The occurrence of polyenic FA deficiency in phylo- and ontogenesis and the cell adaptation reactions which accomplish the cell transfer and receptor absorption of polyenic FA are considered. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is a long-term adaptation to deficient cellular essential FA. At the same time the cells form a plasma membrane, synthesize thromboxanes, prostaglandins, and leukotrienes from omega-9-dihomo-Y-linolenic FA rather than from essential omega-6-arachidonic and omega-3-eicosapentaenic acids. This adaptation process determines all metabolic disturbances which are peculiar to atherosclerosis.