Lipoprotein Associated Phospholipase A2[ ] has been identified and verified in multiple human trials as an
enzymatic activity
Enzyme assays are laboratory methods for measuring enzymatic activity. They are vital for the study of enzyme kinetics and enzyme inhibition.
Enzyme units
The quantity or concentration of an enzyme can be expressed in molar amounts, as with an ...
which is an independent predictor of
atherosclerotic disease progression and events in humans, including
coronary heart disease
Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial ischemia, or simply heart disease, involves the reduction of blood flow to the heart muscle due to build-up of atherosclerotic pl ...
, because it promotes oxidation of
lipoprotein
A lipoprotein is a biochemical assembly whose primary function is to transport hydrophobic lipid (also known as fat) molecules in water, as in blood plasma or other extracellular fluids. They consist of a triglyceride and cholesterol center, su ...
s and certain
fatty acid
In chemistry, particularly in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an unbranched chain of an even number of carbon atoms, ...
s.
It is available to physicians and patients as a
blood test from multiple clinical labs, including LipoScience, and is commonly promoted as the PLAC test. It does not actually measure or reflect the amount of
atherosclerotic plaque
An atheroma, or atheromatous plaque, is an abnormal and reversible accumulation of material in the inner layer of an arterial wall.
The material consists of mostly macrophage cells, or debris, containing lipids, calcium and a variable amount ...
present, only one factor affecting progression of existing atherosclerotic plaques.
As of 2009, there is no treatment for elevated levels of this enzymatic activity, though inhibitors are in development and
clinical trial
Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, diet ...
s. Thus currently it is only a marker which can serve as an indicator for more aggressive treatment of those physiologic behaviors which can be changed to slow/halt progression of atherosclerosis.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lp-Lpa2
Peripheral membrane proteins