Vascular Extracellular Superoxide Dismutase Activity in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract

In patients with CAD, vascular EC-SOD activity is substantially reduced. The close relation between endothelium-bound EC-SOD activity and FDD suggests that reduced EC-SOD activity contributes to endothelial dysfunction in patients with CAD. In young hypercholesterolemic individuals, however, endothelium-bound EC-SOD activity is increased and may, in part, counteract impairment of endothelial function as the result of increased formation of oxygen free radicals.