Adipophilin Expression in Atheroma Development: A Mini-Review

The expression of adipophilin [ADFP] seems to be elevated in atherosclerotic lesions compared with healthy arterial intima, it may play a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, notably in the transformation of macrophages into foam cells. It was proposed that adipophilin may play a key role in the lipid metabolism of foam cells and hence ultimately contributes to the formation of a lipid core in human atherosclerotic lesions. Several RNA microarray analysis showed that ADFP mRNA level was increased in carotid plaque compared with nearby intact tissue. For our part, we showed that atheroma plaque formation coincided with consequent adipophilin expression. Overall, a more complete and comprehensive analysis is required. Further studies are needed to fully understand these mechanisms and the role of each specific ADFP which will hopefully reveal new molecular targets for therapeutic applications against the development of atherosclerosis.