Homocysteine and the onset of Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a complex local inflammation inside the innermost layer of the arteries that begins with an endothelium dysfunction that enables the low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) entry, retention and oxidation in the extra cellular matrix of innermost layer of the artery, followed by an immune activation which becomes ineffective in neutralizing the oxidized LDL. Homocysteine is a sulfur amino acid that is not obtained in the diet and is not incorporated into the proteins and that this correlated with the onset of atherosclerosis. Homocysteine can promotes atherosclerosis via oxidative stress and via the cellular impairment.