ISSN:
1432-0703
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Energy, Environment Protection, Nuclear Power Engineering
,
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract Thrombogenic coronary plaques are characteristic lesions associated with the pathogenesis of arteriosclerosis and result from the progressive degeneration in the structure of the intima of the large elastic blood vessels. This disease accounts for nearly half of all human deaths in advanced industrial societies. Since the necrotic core of an atherosclerotic plaque is a stationary mass rich in cholesterol and other associated lipids, man-made lipid-soluble pollutants could therefore be expected to partition from the aqueous blood into the oily phase of the plaque core. Such partitioning is widespread in nature and is exemplified by the presence of toxic environmental chemicals such as the organochlorine pesticides and polynuclear aromatics in hydrophobic biological systems of both aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Once accumulated, their toxicity is due to their subsequent binding to cellular macromolecules and the resultant alteration of the subcellular process to which they are involved. In theory, these toxic materials in the plaque could modify the activity of cholesterol secretion and/or metabolism or inhibit the body's normal protective mechanisms thus initiating thrombogenesis and the accompanying pathologic morphology. To test this hypothesis, plaque gruel from the aortas of heart attack victims were mechanically dissected from the aortas of autopsied human subjects and analyzed for the presence of toxic compounds by sequential gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS).
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01055381
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