Does P-Glycoprotein Play a Role in the Development of Atherosclerosis?
Carlos Leon, Kristina Sachs-Barrable, and Kishor M. Wasan Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z3 Cardiovascular disease, brought about by atherosclerosis, remains one of the leading causes of death in Canada [1,2]. It is the leading cause of death and disability in the Western world resulting in more than one million deaths each year in North America and costing the health care system in excess of US $200 billion annually in direct costs. High plasma cholesterol levels, smoking, and high blood pressure are some of the major contributing risk factors in this fatal disease. At a molecular level, cholesterol ester accumulation and cell proliferation are two of the most important mechanisms of atherosclerotic plaque formation and growth [3]. In this commentary we will summarize the findings that associate P-glycoprotein (Pgp) expression to cholesterol transport and esterification, as well as atherosclerotic lesion development. In part
