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World J Cardiol. Oct 26, 2014; 6(10): 1049-1059
Published online Oct 26, 2014. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v6.i10.1049
High-density lipoprotein and atherosclerosis: Roles of lipid transporters
Yoshinari Uehara, Keijiro Saku
Yoshinari Uehara, Keijiro Saku, Department of Cardiology, Fukuoka University School of Medicine, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan
Author contributions: Uehara Y designed and wrote the manuscript; Saku K was involved in editing the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Yoshinari Uehara, MD, PhD, Department of Cardiology, Fukuoka University School of Medicine, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan. ueharay@fukuoka-u.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-92-8011011 Fax: +81-92-8652692
Received: January 1, 2014
Revised: February 10, 2014
Accepted: August 27, 2014
Published online: October 26, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: The reverse cholesterol transport pathway played with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) has several potential antiatherogenic properties. Both ATP-binding cassette (ABC) A1 and ABCG1 are lipid transporters and have been involved in mediating cholesterol effluxes from cells in the presence of HDL or apoA-I, and they exerted antiatherosclerotic effects. As a therapeutic approach for increasing HDL cholesterol levels, much focus has been placed on increasing not only HDL cholesterol levels, but also HDL-biological functions. Reconstituted HDL and apoA-I mimetics have significant atheroprotective potential, as it uses lipid transporter-targeting agents, and may prove to be a novel therapeutic tool for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases.