Acrolein modifies apolipoprotein A-I in the human artery wall

Carbonyl stress is implicated in accelerated vascular disease, but little is known about the factors that control the reactions of carbonyls with proteins. Acrolein is a reactive carbonyl generated by the oxidation of lipids and amino acids. It also forms during cigarette smoking. We therefore investigated the possibility that acrolein might react with apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), the major protein of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which plays a critical role in mobilizing cholesterol from artery wall macrophages. Tandem mass spectrometric analysis demonstrated that lysine residues were the only amino acids in apoA-I that were modified by acrolein. Immunohistochemical studies with a monoclonal antibody revealed that acrolein adducts colocalized with apoA-I in human atherosclerotic lesions. Moreover, the ability of apoA-I to remove cholesterol from cultured cells was impaired after exposure to acrolein, suggesting that the carbonyl might interfere with apoA-I's normal function of promoting cholesterol efflux from artery wall cells. Our observations suggest that acrolein may interfere with normal HDL cholesterol transport by modifying apoA-I. This structural damage might play a critical role in atherogenesis by impairing cholesterol removal from artery wall cells.