ArticleCNS neuroscience & therapeutics2024
PCSK9 increases vulnerability of carotid plaque by promoting mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells.
Article in CNS neuroscience & therapeutics, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- NDUFAF2 promotes abdominal aortic aneurysm formation through mitochondrial dysfunction-induced apoptosis.iScience · 2026Article
- PCSK9 alleviates doxorubicin‑induced pyroptosis of cardiomyocytes.Molecular medicine reports · 2026Article
- PCSK9 in vascular smooth muscle cells: biology, pathology, and inhibition to fight atherosclerosis.Atherosclerosis plus · 2026Review
- Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9): The Multifaceted Biology, Diseases, and Pharmaceutical Interventions.MedComm · 2025Review
- Review
- A Pre-Clinical Study on the Use of the Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 Inhibitor PEP 2-8 to Mitigate Ischemic Injury in a Rat Marginal Donor Model.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- PCSK9 Inhibitors: A Potential Priority Choice for Lipid Management in Patients with Diabetic Kidney Disease.Drugs · 2025Review
- The Impact of PCSK9 on Diabetic Cardiomyopathy: Mechanisms and Implications.Biomolecules · 2025Review
- PCSK9 in Vascular Aging and Age-Related Diseases.Aging and disease · 2025Review
- PTP1B Modulates Carotid Plaque Vulnerability in Atherosclerosis Through Rab5-PDGFRβ-Mediated Endocytosis Disruption and Apoptosis.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2024Article
- PCSK9 Inhibitors and Anthracyclines: The Future of Cardioprotection in Cardio-Oncology.Hearts (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- PCSK9 increases vulnerability of carotid plaque by promoting mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundProprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) has been recognized as a novel lipid-lowing target. Recent clinical studies suggested the value of inhibiting PCSK9 in decreasing the vulnerability of coronary plaques. However, the evidence of PCSK9-regulated evolution of unstable carotid plaques is unclear, which has limited the use of PCSK9 inhibitor in carotid plaques. This study aimed to determine the effect and molecular mechanisms of PCSK9 on vulnerability of carotid plaques, to provide potential therapeutic targets for stabilizing carotid plaques.
methodsThe expression of PCSK9 in stable and unstable carotid plaques were examined in tissue and plasma. Human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and carotid VSMCs were employed to transfect lentivirus for overexpression and knockdown of PCSK9, respectively. Morphological and functional changes of mitochondria were observed by live-cell imaging. Cell apoptosis was evaluated by propidium iodide staining. RNA-sequencing and biological examinations were performed to explore and validate the underlying mechanisms. Truncated plasmids were employed to identify the functional domain of PCSK9 in regulation of VSMCs' mitochondrial morphology, function and apoptosis.
resultsClinically, PCSK9 was closely related with vulnerability of human carotid plaques. Increased expression of PCSK9 in human VSMCs was accompanied by higher level of apoptosis. At subcellular level of VSMCs, the morphology of mitochondria was shifted toward the fission state, followed by mitochondrial dysfunction. Inhibition of p38 MAPK activation partially rescued the above morphological and behavioral changes caused by PCSK9. Furthermore, inhibiting of dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) attenuated PCSK9-related mitochondrial dysfunction and cell apoptosis. The 1-149aa domain of PCSK9 protein was essential to achieve functional regulation to VSMCs.
conclusionOur findings demonstrated that PCSK9 induced morphology-related mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis of VSMCs, which may be related to increased vulnerability of carotid plaque.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.