Targeting lipophagy in atherosclerosis: Molecular mechanisms, pathogenesis and therapeutic interventions (Review) - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #Lipophagy
- #Atherosclerosis
- #Therapeutic Targeting
- Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease driven by lipid accumulation and cholesterol imbalance in arterial walls.
- Lipophagy is a selective autophagy process that degrades lipid droplets and regulates cellular lipid homeostasis.
- Key regulatory networks of lipophagy include mTORC1/AMPK pathways, TFEB, and FXR/CREBP signaling axes.
- In macrophages, lipophagy can stabilize plaques by promoting cholesterol efflux but may also contribute to necrotic core formation if dysregulated.
- In vascular smooth muscle cells, lipophagy influences phenotype switching and calcification, and in endothelial cells, it reduces oxidative stress and inflammation.
- Therapeutic interventions include drugs like statins and metformin, natural compounds, and Traditional Chinese Medicine formulas.
- Future strategies should focus on cell-type-specific targeting of lipophagy, particularly the sirtuin 1-TFEB axis, for safer clinical applications.