Several of the ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters have recently been shown to play important roles in reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) and prevention of atherosclerosis. In the liver, ABCG5 and ABCG8 have been proposed to efflux sterols into the bile for excretion. ABCG5 and ABCG8 also limit absorption of dietary cholesterol and plant sterols in the intestine. In macrophages, ABCA1 and ...

RATIONALE We and others have demonstrated that anthocyanins have antiatherogenic capability. Because intact anthocyanins are absorbed very poorly, the low level of circulating parent anthocyanins may not fully account for their beneficial effect. We found recently that protocatechuic acid (PCA), a metabolite of cyanidin-3 to 0-β-glucoside (Cy-3-G), has a remarkable antiatherogenic effect. OBJ...

BACKGROUND Adipose harbors a large depot of free cholesterol. However, a role for adipose in cholesterol lipidation of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in vivo is not established. We present the first evidence that adipocytes support transfer of cholesterol to HDL in vivo as well as in vitro and implicate ATP-binding cassette subfamily A member 1 (ABCA1) and scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-...

Apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4), the most prevalent genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), is less lipidated than its corresponding AD-benign form, apoE3, and it has been suggested that the pathological effects of apoE4 are mediated by lipid-related mechanisms. ATP-binding cassette transporters A1 and G1 (ABCA1 and ABCG1, respectively) are the most important apoE-lipidating proteins. The e...

Objective—Adenosine monophosphate kinase (AMPK) has been identified as a regulator of vascular function via the preservation of endothelial cell (EC) function. We examined in this study whether the beneficial effects of AMPK on ECs are dependent on its involvement in cholesterol efflux and its impact on hypercholesterolemia-induced endothelial dysfunction. Methods and Results—Using human aortic...

Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Key Laboratory for Atherosclerology of Hunan Province, Life Science Research Center, University of South China, China Laboratory Medicine Center, Nangfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, China Department of Anesthesiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, China Institute of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Life Science Research C...

AIMS To investigate the association of ABCG1, GALNT2 and HMGCR genes promoter DNA methylation with coronary heart disease (CHD) and explore the interaction between their methylation status and the CHD patients' clinical characteristics in Han Chinese population. METHODS AND RESULTS Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) technology was used to examine the role of the aberrant gen...