SERUM GANGLIOSIDES AS ENDOGENOUS IMMUNOMODULATORS

Gangliosides suppress various immune activities in vitro and in vivo. Their level is significantly elevated in ai-nors and atherosclerotic aorta tissue, as well as in the sera of patients with tumors or atheroscerosis. Here, Lev Bergelson suggests that ganglioside-induced immunomodulation might be involved in atherogenesis and carcinogenesis, and describes a hypothesis that cites gangliosides as a factor interfering with the clearance of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) and promoting the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.