Review
Research progress of the roles of macrophage autophagy in atherosclerotic lesion stability
Haofeng NING, Xiuru GUAN
Published 2015-01-05
Cite as Int J Immunol, 2015, 38(1): 84-88. DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.1673-4394.2015.01.020
Abstract
Autophagy is a process which delivers cytoplasmic contents sequestrated by double-membraned structures to the lysosome for degradation and recycling.It can be activated under pressure such as starvation, hypoxia, oxidative stress and harmful substances.Atherosclerotic plaque rupture and subsequent thrombosis formation are the main pathological basis leading to acute cardiovascular event.Macrophage is the main cell that influences the stability of the plaque.Recent investigation has demonstrated that basal levels of macrophage autophagy play a critical protective role in preventing the formation, progression and destabilization of atherosclerotic lesions, while dysfunctional autophagy is proatherogenic.The influence of macrophage autophagy on the stability of atherosclerotic lesions has been gaining widespread attention in recent years.Further investigation on the mechanism and effect of macrophage autophagy may provide new targets for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis.
Key words:
Autophagy; Atherosclerotic Lesion; Macrophage
Contributor Information
Haofeng NING
Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China
Xiuru GUAN