The way of cholesterol in atherogenesis: from the main enemy to complex biomarkers

Since the advent of the cholesterol hypothesis of atherosclerosis, cholesterol has been perceived by the world community as a great evil. However, normally cholesterol is an important component of the plasma membrane, as well as a participant in the signaling of bile acids, steroid hormones and vitamin D synthesis, and its deficiency has negative consequences. There is a much wider understanding of the negative effects of excess cholesterol. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, and hence all its negative consequences, such as myocardial infarction, Peripheral artery disease, stroke, etc., is inextricably linked with cholesterol. However, it is no longer entirely correct to perceive cholesterol as an unambiguous evil. So, for example, the indicator "total cholesterol" does not have the clinical significance that has been attributed to it for decades. Today we have a challenge to measure cholesterol and assess its pathogenicity. In this review, we collected data on current approaches to measuring cholesterol in the context of its relationship with atherosclerosis.