Erratum: Reduction of Arteriosclerotic Nanoplaque Formation and Size by n-3 Fatty Acids in Patients after Valvular Defect Operation

Background/Methods: Coating a silica surface with the isolated lipoprotein receptor heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HS-PG) from arterial endothelium and vascular matrices, we could observe the very earliest stages of arteriosclerotic plaque development by ellipsometric techniques in vitro (patent EP 0 946 876). This so-called nanoplaque formation is represented by the ternary aggregational complex of the HS-PG receptor, lipoprotein particles and calcium ions. The model was validated in several clinical studies on statins in cardiovascular high-risk patients applying their native blood lipoprotein fractions. Results: In 7 patients who had undergone a valvular defect operation, the reduction of arteriosclerotic nanoplaque formation in normal Krebs solution amounted to 6.1 ± 2.3% (p Conclusions: A combinatorial regression analysis revealed a basis for a mechanistic explanation of nanoplaque reduction under n-3 fatty acid treatment. This effect was possibly due to the beneficial changes in lipid concentrations and an attenuation of the risk factors oxLDL/LDL and (LDL5+LDL6)/LDLtot.