IMR Press / FBL / Volume 6 / Issue 3 / DOI: 10.2741/kruth

Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark (FBL) is published by IMR Press from Volume 26 Issue 5 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Frontiers in Bioscience.

Article

Macrophage foam cells and atherosclerosis

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1 Section of Experimental Atherosclerosis, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1422, USA
Front. Biosci. (Landmark Ed) 2001, 6(3), 429–455; https://doi.org/10.2741/kruth
Published: 1 March 2001
Abstract

Focal buildup of cholesterol in arteries is the process that produces atherosclerotic plaques, the cause of most coronary artery disease and strokes. Monocyte-derived macrophages are central cells that accumulate this cholesterol in atherosclerotic lesions, a manifestation of the scavenging function of the macrophage. Different types of cholesterol-containing lipid particles found in atherosclerotic lesions may enter macrophages by a variety of endocytic pathways. The fate of cholesterol that enters macrophages determines whether macrophages help or hinder cholesterol removal from the vessel wall. Macrophages may function to carry cholesterol out of lesions, or to process the cholesterol for excretion in association with small protein-phospholipid complexes. Alternatively, macrophages that do not efficiently function to remove cholesterol from lesions may ultimately undergo cell death. Some cytokines, hormones, and pharmacologic agents show potential to modulate these processes and may be useful in directing macrophage function in atherosclerotic lesions towards beneficial rather than harmful effects.

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