Incorporation of Oleic Acid into Lipid by Foam Cells in Human Atherosclerotic Lesions

The incorporation of C-labeled oleic acid into phospholipid, cholesterol ester, and triglyceride in human arterial intima (normal and atherosclerotic) obtained from kidney transplant donors has been investigated in vitro. Most of the oleic acid was incorporated into phospholipid, in both the normal intima and the atherosclerotic lesion, but a greater proportion of label was diverted to cholesterol ester in the lesion. Representative sections of the vessels used for metabolic studies were taken for radioautography, and these demonstrated localization of C to foam cells, but very little localization in the region of spindle-shaped cells. It was concluded that lipid synthesis in the human atherosclerotic lesion takes place predominantly in the intimal foam cells.