Lipoapoptosis of human coronary artery endothelial cells induced by saturated fatty acids is mediated by NFκB activation

Aims: High free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations, as observed in patients with metabolic syndrome, trigger apoptosis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Since endothelial cell death may contribute to atherothrombotic complications, we studied the apoptotic susceptibility of human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC) towards selected FFA. Methods: HCAEC were treated with single FFA or combinations of saturated (SFA) and unsaturated FFA (UFA). Apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry (subG1 DNA content). NFκB activation was demonstrated by EMSA. Secreted cytokines were quantified by ELISA. Results: Tr…