LOX-1, a new marker of risk and prognosis in coronary artery disease?

The development of atherosclerosis is caused by the accumulation of lipid, inflammatory cytokine production, and the large amount of inflammatory cells in the arterial wall. It is now established that the presence of oxidized low-density lipoproteins (ox-LDL) has an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease. There are many scavenger receptors for ox-LDL, among which LOX-1 seems to be important for the induction of endothelial dysfunction and the other subsequent events that lead to the formation of atheromatous plaque. Our findings indicate the presence of a regulatory role induced by the presence of ox-LDL on LOX-1 through the amplification of IL-6 synthesis. This mechanism contributes to the upregulation of the ORL-1 gene expression in presence of risk factors. Many authors have shown the possibility to use LOX-1 as a good marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of coronary artery disease because it is easy to measure and more sensitive than other markers commonly used in the routine of laboratory medicine.