Antibodies against oxidized LDL in infants.

We conducted two studies of serum antibodies against oxidized LDL (IgoxLDL) in mothers and their infants during the past 2 years. We used an ELISA (oLAb; Eli-Tec Laborreagenzien GmbH) based on the use of Cu2+-oxidized LDL particles bound to the surface of microtiter plate wells and an anti-human IgG-peroxidase conjugate. In the first study of mothers and their infants at birth and again at the age of 3 months (1), we found that the values were not homogeneous in the sera of 3-month-old infants: some infants had markedly increased IgoxLDL, whereas others had values below those in newborns. The mean value was 815 ± 469 units/L compared with 337 ± 214 units/L in newborns. At that time, we were unable to explain these findings. One year later, we repeated the study and …