Surfactants and atherogenesis.

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Cardiovascular Science

Background:

• Atheroma hypothesis: pathogen or metabolic fault impairs plasma cholesterol transport.
• Faulty lipoproteins may be unable to cross capillary endothelium, leading to hypercholesterolemia and lipophage capture.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose surfactants as the likely cause of impaired cholesterol transport in atheroma.
• To explain the connection between water supply and atheroma, and infant coronary occlusion.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical argument based on existing hypotheses and biochemical properties of surfactants.
• Exploration of how surfactants interact with plasma lipoproteins and cholesterol.

Main Results:

• Surfactants can bind cholesterol, forming complexes that cannot cross the capillary endothelium.
• This mechanism offers a potential explanation for atheroma development.

Conclusions:

• Surfactants are a plausible cause for impaired cholesterol transport, contributing to atheroma.
• The hypothesis potentially resolves the link between water hardness, atheroma, and infant mortality from coronary occlusion.