Journal
SCANNING
Volume 28, Issue 1, Pages 1-10Publisher
WILEY-HINDAWI
DOI: 10.1002/sca.4950280101
Keywords
vulnerable plaque; cholesterol crystals; plaque rupture; myocardial infarction
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Funding
- NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD INSTITUTE [R01HL067472] Funding Source: NIH RePORTER
- NHLBI NIH HHS [R01 HL067472] Funding Source: Medline
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Plaque rupture and/or erosion are considered the leading cause of cardiovascular events. To elucidate this process, we demonstrated that during cholesterol crystallization the occupied volume increases rapidly and sharp-tipped crystals cut through thin biological membranes in their path. The amount of cholesterol correlated directly with both peak level and rate of crystal growth (r = 0.98; r = 0.99; p < 0.01, respectively). These observations suggest that crystallization of cholesterol in atherosclerotic plaques can induce cap rupture and/or erosion. Observations by scanning, electron microscopy confirmed similar findings of cholesterol crystals perforating the lumen surface in human coronary artery segments with ruptured plaque.
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