Definition of Paraoxonase

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Paraoxonase: An enzyme associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) that is believed to protect against the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and hence to affect the risk of coronary artery disease. There are 3 paraoxonase genes (PON1, PON2 and PON3) all of which are clustered in the same region on chromosome 7. The severity of coronary artery disease, in terms of the number of diseased vessels, is affected by common genetic variations in the PON gene cluster.