Lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1), a 52-kD type II transmembrane receptor for oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL) belonging to the C-type lectin family is present primarily on endothelial cells. Accumulating evidences indicate that oxLDL uptake through this receptor induces endothelial dysfunction. oxLDL binding to endothelial LOX-1 generates superoxide anions, decreases nitric oxide production, and activates NF-kB. Endothelial LOX-1 expression is induced by various pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-alpha and TGF-beta as well as by pro-atherogenic factors, such as oxLDL and advanced glycation end products in vitro. This receptor is expressed in the aortas of hypertensive, diabetic, and hyperlipidemic animals and is upregulated in early human atherosclerotic lesions. These results suggest that LOX-1 may be expressed locally and play important roles in atherogenesis by internalizing and degrading oxLDL and in inflammatory responses in vivo. LOX-1 can be cleaved from the cell surface and released as soluble LOX-1 (sLOX-1), and elevated sLOX-1 levels may be indicative of atherosclerotic plaque instability.
The CycLex Research Product CircuLex Human soluble LOX-1/OLR1 ELISA Kit employs the quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique and is designed to measure the concentration of human soluble LOX-1 in conditioned medium or human serum/plasma.