We speculate that an elevated PLA(2)enzyme activity in pre-eclamptic decidual tissue could be of importance in the pathogenesis of 'acute atherosis', comparable to the atherogenesis in cardiovascular diseases.
The association of PLA2 status with overall cardiovascular disease in the general population is significant but weak; higher risk has been identified in less heterogeneous subgroups as in the younger cohorts and in the restenosis subset with stents.
In blood plasma, PLA(2) can modify the circulating lipoproteins and so induce formation of small dense LDL particles, which are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease.