Autophagy and oxidative stress in cardiovascular diseases

Autophagy is a highly conserved degradation process by which intracellular components, including soluble macromolecules (e.g. nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids) and dysfunctional organelles (e.g. mitochondria, ribosomes, peroxisomes, and endoplasmic reticulum) are degraded by the lysosome. Autophagy is orchestrated by the autophagy related protein (Atg) composed protein complexes to form autophagosomes, which fuse with lysosomes to generate autolysosomes where the contents are degraded to provide energy for cell survival in response to environmental and cellular stress. Autophagy is an important player in cardiovascular disease development such as atherosclerosis, cardiac ischemia/reperfusion, cardiomyopathy, heart failure and hypertension. Autophagy in particular contributes to cardiac ischemia, hypertension and diabetes by interaction with reactive oxygen species generated in endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. This review highlights the dual role of autophagy in cardiovascular disease development. Full recognition of autophagy as an adaptive or maladaptive response would provide potential new strategies for cardiovascular disease prevention and management. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Autophagy and protein quality control in cardiometabolic diseases.