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VOL. 74 (1), 5-27, 2008 ARILESTERASA. ASPECTOS METODOLÓGICOS...

Many authors have suggested that HDL-bound PON1 enzyme may confer the
protective effects to HDL. PON1 is an enzyme with several in vitro activities:
paraoxonase, arylesterase, and lactonase. It has been reported that PON1 inhibits
LDL and HDL peroxidation, as well as it facilitates the cholesterol reverse transport,
helping to inhibit the development of atherosclerosis.

Its native substrates, its in vivo mechanism of action and its molecular targets
in the human body are still unknown. Nevertheless, calorimetric and
spectrophotometric methods, very often employed but reaching to low very precise
and sensible results, to determine its arylesterase activity have been developed. In
this paper several aspects of this enzyme such as the mechanism of action, the
regulation by substrates, genes and diet, are reviewed. Moreover, we present a
method that uses a serum mimetic buffer that permits to obtain more precise and
reproductible results of the arylesterase activity in humans and mice. Furthermore
the relationship between PON1 polymorphisms and arylesterase activity is also
tested in subjects at increased CVD-risk.

Keywords: Arylesterase.—Atherosclerosis.—Oxidized-LDL.—Human serum
mimetic.—Polymorphisms.

Las enfermedades del corazón y del sistema circulatorio ocasionan
1,9 millones de muertes al año en la Unión Europea (1). Este dato
representa aproximadamente la mitad de todas las defunciones que se
producen en los países europeos; de este grupo de enfermedades, la
cardiopatía isquémica es una causa fundamental de defunción. La
cardiopatía isquémica conduce a muchas muertes prematuras y, dado
que la asistencia sanitaria de las ECV es cara y prolongada, constitu-
ye también una gran carga económica en Europa. En España el coste
debido al tratamiento de las ECV supone casi unos 7.000 millones de
euros al año (1).

En España, las enfermedades cardiovasculares se mantuvieron
como primera causa de muerte, representando el 33,3% del total de
defunciones (una de cada tres) (2). Dentro de este grupo, la cardio-
patía isquémica fue la primera causa de muerte entre los hombres
(con 21.898 defunciones), mientras que las enfermedades cerebro-
vasculares fueron la principal causa entre las mujeres (20.049 defun-
ciones) (2).

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