Aortic stenosis
Lp(a) drives calcific aortic valve disease through four distinct mechanistic routes, but no clinical trial has yet targeted it directly, a review (Front Cell Dev Biol 2022)
Original title: Lipoprotein(a), a Lethal Player in Calcific Aortic Valve Disease
This review examines Lp(a) mechanistic role in calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD), the most common valvular heart disease, for which surgical or transcatheter valve replacement remains the only effective treatment given the lack of approved drug therapy. Lp(a) is described as contributing to CAVD through multiple pathways: causing aortic valve endothelial dysfunction, indirectly promoting foam cell formation via oxidised phospholipids, driving inflammation and oxidative stress, and directly promoting valve calcification. The authors note that no clinical trial has yet used Lp(a) reduction as its primary endpoint specifically for CAVD, and the review focuses on current drugs that could serve as potential CAVD therapeutic targets by lowering Lp(a).
Original abstract
Calcified aortic valve disease (CAVD) is the most common valvular cardiovascular disease with increasing incidence and mortality. The primary treatment for CAVD is surgical or transcatheter aortic valve replacement and there remains a lack of effective drug treatment. Recently, lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) has been considered to play a crucial role in CAVD pathophysiology. Multiple studies have shown that Lp(a) represents an independent risk factor for CAVD. Moreover, Lp(a) mediates the occurrence and development of CAVD by affecting aortic valve endothelial dysfunction, indirectly promoting foam cell formation through oxidized phospholipids (OxPL), inflammation, oxidative stress, and directly promotes valve calcification. However, there is a lack of clinical trials with Lp(a) reduction as a primary endpoint. This review aims to explore the relationship and mechanism between Lp(a) and CAVD, and focuses on the current drugs that can be used as potential therapeutic targets for CAVD.
Summary written by lp-a.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 18 August 2026. Methods.