The preparations of low-density lipoproteins isolated from the blood of healthy donors were found to contain particles of lipoproteins showing different aggregation ability: some particles undergo aggregation much faster than others upon stirring of a lipoprotein solution. After stirring, lipoprotein particles can be separated by ultracentrifugation into two fractions—large aggregates and small particles—without intermediate forms. It is known that the presence of aggregated low-density lipoproteins can accelerate considerably the accumulation of lipids in cells; therefore, one can suppose the particles with high aggregation propensity to be more atherogenic.

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