Mechanical and Crystallographic Analysis of Cholesterol Crystals Puncturing Biological Membranes. Issue 44 (10th July 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Al‐Handawi, Marieh B.; Commins, Patrick; Karothu, Durga Prasad; Raj, Gijo; Li, Liang; Naumov, Panče
• Is Part Of: Chemistry. Volume 24:Issue 44(2018)
• Page Start: 11493
• Page End: 11497
• Publication Date: 2018-07-10
• Subjects: cardiac arrest -- cholesterol -- crystal engineering -- mechanical properties -- X-ray diffraction; Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/chem.201802251
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0947-6539

Abstract

Abstract: Ischemic heart disease often leads to myocardial infarction and remains the most common cause for death in humans. Although the exact impetus for the infarction remains elusive, a mechanism has been proposed that relates the disease to the observed high cholesterol levels in the body. The mechanism claims that cholesterol crystallizes inside the arterial plaque into needle‐shaped crystals. The crystals puncture the fibrous cap of the plaque, whereby the necrotic contents of the plaque are spilled, subsequently clotting the blood vessels. This hypothesis has not been given sufficient attention partly due to the purported softness of the organic crystals and the common platy habit of the known crystal forms of cholesterol. In this work it is shown that, from hydrophobic solutions that attempt to emulate the plaque contents, a new solid form of cholesterol crystallizes as prisms with mucronate tips, and they are sufficiently strong to puncture a lamb pericardium, which mimics the plaque cap. The properties of the crystals were assessed by mechanical, structural, and crystallographic analyses. The results support the hypothesis that the cholesterol crystals can be considered, at least within the framework of the proposed mechanism, a possible cause of myocardial infarction. Abstract : Cholesterol can crystallize as prisms with sharp tips, and is sufficiently strong to puncture a lamb pericardium. The results confirm that the cholesterol crystals can be considered, at least within the framework of an earlier proposed mechanism, a possible cause of myocardial infarction.