Stress granules in atherosclerosis: Insights and therapeutic opportunities

Area of Science:

• Cellular biology
• Molecular medicine
• Cardiovascular research

Background:

• Atherosclerosis is a major cause of cardiovascular disease, driven by inflammation and metabolic dysfunction.
• Stress granules (SG) are cellular aggregates forming under stress, with emerging links to disease.
• The precise role of SG in atherosclerosis pathogenesis remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively analyze the role of stress granules in atherosclerosis development.
• To investigate how cellular stresses and atherosclerosis-associated factors influence SG formation.
• To explore the impact of SG dynamics on pro-atherogenic processes.

Main Methods:

• Review and analysis of existing literature on stress granules and atherosclerosis.
• Examination of cellular stress responses and their components in SG formation.
• Assessment of how factors like inflammation, shear stress, and oxidative stress affect SG.
• Evaluation of SG dynamics' influence on endothelial dysfunction, lipid metabolism, and immune cell recruitment.

Main Results:

• Cellular stresses stimulate SG formation, involving specific components and regulatory genes.
• Atherosclerosis-related factors (inflammation, OSS, OS) modulate SG formation.
• Altered SG dynamics impact key pro-atherogenic processes, including endothelial dysfunction and immune responses.
• SG are implicated in lipid metabolism alterations within the context of atherosclerosis.

Conclusions:

• There is a complex interplay between stress granules and atherosclerosis.
• Understanding this relationship may reveal novel therapeutic strategies for cardiovascular diseases.
• Targeting SG dynamics presents a promising avenue for future atherosclerosis treatments.