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Effect of homocysteine, folates, and cobalamin on endothelial cell- and copper-induced LDL oxidation

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Lipids

Abstract

Oxidation of LDL contributes to endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. This process could be associated with hyperhomocysteinemia, a condition that can be reduced after folic acid treatment. Because a reduction in LDL oxidation may improve endothelial function, we studied the effect of some vitamins (folic acid, 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid, and vitamin B-12) on LDL oxidation, either in the presence or absence of homocysteine. For this purpose, two in vitro systems were used: an endothelial cell-catalyzed LDL oxidation system and a cell-free copper-initiated LDL oxidation system. The kinetics of coppercatalyzed LDL oxidation was determined by continuous monitoring of the production of conjugated dienes in the reaction medium. TBARS production, a parameter of lipid peroxidation, was also evaluated. In both in vitro systems, only 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolic acid was able to decrease TBARS production in a concentration-dependent manner, independently of the presence or absence of homocysteine. In the copper-induced LDL oxidation system, vitamin B-12 and 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid increased the lag time of conjugated diene production by 25 and 47%, respectively, suggesting that both vitamins in this system had antioxidant properties. Folic acid was unable to show antioxidant properties when included in either in vitro system. The results demonstrate that 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid and vitamin B-12 are important protective agents against LDL oxidative modifications.

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Abbreviations

Hcy:

homocysteine

HUVEC:

human umbilical vein endothelial cell

5-MTHF:

5-methyltetrahydrofolate

THF:

tetrahydrofolate

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos (INTA), Universidad de Chile, Casilla 138-11, Santiago, Chile

    Ana María Ronco, Argelia Garrido, Miguel N. Llanos, Carlos Guerrero-Bosagna, Daniela Tamayo & Sandra Hirsch

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  1. Ana María Ronco
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  2. Argelia Garrido
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  3. Miguel N. Llanos
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  4. Carlos Guerrero-Bosagna
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  5. Daniela Tamayo
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  6. Sandra Hirsch
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Correspondence to Ana María Ronco.

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Ronco, A.M., Garrido, A., Llanos, M.N. et al. Effect of homocysteine, folates, and cobalamin on endothelial cell- and copper-induced LDL oxidation. Lipids 40, 259–264 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-005-1380-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-005-1380-6

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