Cellular And Molecular Biology Of Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease remains the major cause of death and disability in Western society. The field of atherosclerosis research has grown tremendously over the last forty years, shedding a great deal of light on the contributing factors and natural history of the disorder and enabling strategies for its treatment and prevention. Some of the greatest strides in this field in recent years have derived from advances in molecular biology techniques. These strides were chosen for emphasis in the most recent Princess Lilian symposium, whose proceedings this volume represents. Historically, the Princess Lilian meetings have been small ones aimed at bringing together investigators from diverse specialties to discuss a particular subject. The most recent meeting was no exception and included clinicians, clinical investigators, and research ers in basic science. The symposium began with an extensive review of coronary morphopathological findings in patients who died of coronary heart disease. Any rational hypothesis of atherogenesis must take into account clinical findings, and any attempt to bridge the gap between experimental laboratory findings and studies in man is highly desirable. Three chapters focus on endothelial injury: one on the nitric oxide pathway in physiology and pathology, a second on the activation of endothelial cells, and a third on the monocyte and endothelial injury. Still another chapter examines growth factors, in particular the fibroblast growth factor in atherogenesis.

With atherosclerosis being the number one cause of death in the western world, this handbook and ready reference provides a comprehensive account of the different stages and factors in the development of the atherosclerotic plaque. Each chapter is written by experts in the field and highlights the role of specific mediators of atherosclerotic plaque development, as well as potential therapeutic targets. A large amount of this up-to-date information is conveyed by way of tables and schematic figures, in a readily comprehensible manner. A must-have for master and PhD students, researchers, MDs and lecturers in vascular biology and cardiology, as well as for academics and scientists in the pharmaceutical industry.

This volume contains the papers which were presented at the First Altschul Symposium, Atherosclerosis: Cellular and Molecular Interactions in the Artery Wall. The symposium was held in Saskatoon, at the University of Saskatchewan in May 1990 in memory of Dr. Rudolph Altschul, a pioneer in the field of vascular biology and the prevention of atherosclerosis. Dr. Altschul was Professor and Head of the Department of Anatomy at the University of Saskatchewan from 1955 to 1963. The challenge for biomedical scientists is to unravel the multifactorial etiology of atherosclerosis. For the last hundred and sixty years, anatomical pathologists have carefully studied the morphological changes of the human vascular wall during the initiation and evolution of the fibrofatty atherosclerotic plaque. Based on these elegant morphological observations, theories on atherogenesis were put forth by pathologists in the 1840's. Rudolf Virchow suggested that the movement of substances from the blood into the vessel wall was important for atherogenesis while Carl von Rokitansky felt that the deposition of substances on the lumenal surface of the artery resulted in the formation of atherosclerotic plaque. Since these original theories, it has become apparent that the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is multifactorial and the disease evolves in stages. It is also likely that not all plaques arise through the same sequence of events and that many steps are involved in the development of each plaque. Today, our understanding of the complicated processes of atherogenesis is still incomplete.

This book covers many aspects of atherogenesis, with particular emphasis on lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. It includes all aspects of the regulation of cholesterol homeostasis and the importance of each pathway. Also explored are the roles of nuclear hormone receptors on lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and their complex roles in atherogenesis. The book further discusses how genetic studies can help understand the complexities that mediate these aspects of atherogenesis.

The outstanding contributions to this volume are designed to shed light on some fields of cell biology and cellular pathology, including newly observed phenomena of cell-cell interactions, which might be applicable in studying the pathological process of atherosclerosis. The topics included cover: lipoproteins and lipoprotein receptors; growth factors; endocytosis and exocytosis; ONC Genes and proliferative disease; white blood cells; prostaglandins and leukotrienes; and the biology of smooth muscle and endothelium. The volume provides a complete summary of the most important developments in the field with great impact for arteriosclerosis research.