Figure 5. Summary of the pathological relationships between
eruptive xanthoma, hypertriglyceridemia, and atherosclerosis
Obesity and diabetes mellitus have potentials to increase serum remnant
lipoproteins, namely TG-rich lipoproteins, and lead to the
hypertriglyceridemia. Marked increase in the levels of serum TG-rich
remnant lipoproteins infiltrate into the subcutaneous tissue and would
be taken up by migrated macrophages, which turn into lipid-filled foam
cells. The accumulation of these foam cells increases the risks of
developing eruptive xanthomas in the subcutaneous tissue or
atherosclerosis in the vessels.
Abbreviations: ANGPLT3: angiopoietin-like protein 3, FFA: free fatty
acid, IL-1β: interleukin-1β, IL-6: interleukin-6, LPL: lipoprotein
lipase, TG: triglyceride, TNF-α: tumor necrosing factor-α, VLDL: very
low-density lipoprotein.