Fig. 3.

Systemic behavior of OxLDL. OxLDL is thought to be generated in vessel wall tissues even in the early phase of atherogenesis. OxLDL gradally accumulates in premature lesions, while OxLDL migrates between the vessel wall and the circulation. When plaque is damaged, a thrombus is generated and the blood flow is occluded. In the acute phase upon plaque ruptures, a portion of the intact OxLDL and degraded OxLDL which has accumulated in the lesions is released into the circulation. In the peripheral blood, the OxLDL level go up in the acute phase, and it then goes down as OxLDL is cleared by the liver from the circulation.