The Errant Cell

Atherosclerosis, a form of arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, is a major cause of the heart disease that claims more than 1,000,000 American lives each year. Most doctors believe that fats like cholesterol are primarily responsible for the gradual arterial buildup of the hard, fibrous deposits that characterize the condition. A University of Washington pathologist offers a startlingly different explanation. Relegating cholesterol to a secondary role in heart disease, Dr. Earl Benditt suggests that atherosclerotic deposits, or plaques, may be derived from a single abnormal cell that multiplies into tumor-like growths.

Benditt's hypothesis is based on experiments with chickens, which developed arterial deposits identical to those found in humans, whether or not the birds were fed cholesterol. Some fatty material was found in the growths, but it apparently had begun to accumulate after the formation of the plaques.

Outlaw Cell. Benditt then turned his attention to post-mortem examinations of human atherosclerotic plaques, which look like lumps on the insides of the arteries. His research revealed that the cells forming the plaque, while genetically identical to each other, were different from the cells in the arterial wall. Thus his finding suggests that abnormal cells may reproduce themselves to form plaque, just as outlaw cells can duplicate themselves to form tumors.

Benditt has yet to explain the origin of the abnormal cell, which could result from exposure to a virus or chemical agent. His call for further study to determine if his hypothesis is correct is already gathering support. As one of Benditt's fellow scientists recently wrote: "In conversations with people, the first reaction is disbelief and ridicule, changing slowly to interest and logical reconsideration, and evolving shortly into amazement and enthusiasm."

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