Foam cell apoptosis and the development of the lipid core of human atherosclerosis

A characteristic feature of the advanced atherosclerotic lesion is the acellular lipid core, which appears to result at least partly from the death of macrophage foam cells. This study shows that foam cell death at the edge of the lipid core includes both necrosis and apoptosis and that remnants of apoptotic nuclei are present within the lipid core. Apoptotic cells were identified by transmission electron microscopy and by nick end-labelling using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TUNEL). Some TUNEL-positive cells also expressed proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). The cause of foam cell death in atherogenesis is unknown, but oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) can cause macrophage apoptosis in vitro and might therefore play a role in the formation and enlargement of the lipid core.