NF-κB, A Potential Therapeutic Target in Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally. Atherosclerosis is the basis of major CVDs - myocardial ischemia, heart failure, and stroke. Among numerous functional molecules, the transcription factor nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) has been linked to downstream target genes involved in atherosclerosis. The activation of the NF-κB family and its downstream target genes in response to environmental and cellular stress, hypoxia, and ischemia initiate different pathological events such as innate and adaptive immunity, and cell survival, differentiation, and proliferation. Thus, NF-κB is a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of atherosclerosis and related CVDs. Several biologics and small molecules as well as peptide/proteins have been shown to regulate NF-κB dependent signaling pathways. In this review, we will focus on the function of NF-κB in CVDs and the role of NF-κB inhibitors in the treatment of CVDs.