Lysophosphatidylcholine and Reactive Oxygen Species Mediate the Synergistic Effect of Mildly Oxidized LDL With Serotonin on Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation

Background—Mild oxidation of LDL enhances its atherogenic potential and induces a synergistic interaction with serotonin (5HT) on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation. Because of its complex chemical nature, the mitogenic components of mildly oxidized LDL (moxLDL) remain unclear. Methods and Results—We examined both the effects of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a donor of reactive oxygen species, as major components of moxLDL and their interactions with 5HT on VSMC proliferation. Growth-arrested VSMCs were incubated with different concentrations of moxLDL, LPC, H2O2, or LPC with H2O2 in the absence or presence of 5HT. DNA synthesis in VSMCs was examined by [3H]thymidine incorporation. MoxLDL, LPC, H2O2, and 5HT stimulated DNA synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. MoxLDL had a maximal stimulatory effect at a concentration of 5 μg/mL (211%), LPC at 15 μmol/L (156%), H2O2 at 5 μmol/L (179%), and 5HT at 50 μmol/L (205%). Added together, moxLDL (50 ng/mL) and 5HT (50 μm...