NDLE Board Nutritional Biochemistry and Clinical Dietetics Exam 1 Practice

Oxidative modification of LDL within the arterial wall creates oxidized LDL, the trigger that initiates atherosclerotic lesions. While native LDL carries cholesterol, once LDL particles become oxidized they acquire pro-inflammatory properties and are readily taken up by macrophages via scavenger receptors. This uptake turns macrophages into foam cells, lipid accumulates, and inflammatory signals recruit more immune cells, starting fatty streaks that can evolve into plaques. Triglycerides and total cholesterol contribute to risk, but the direct initiator of the lesion is the oxidized form of cholesterol carried in LDL.