Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40660209›Full record

ArticleLipids in health and disease2025

Lipid infiltration promotes trans-differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells into macrophage-like cells in early lesions of human coronary atherosclerosis.

Junhai Hao, Jiang Liu, Jiahui Zhou, Yuanfeng Liang, Wanwen Chen, Yueheng Wu, Zhanyi Lin

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Lipids in health and disease, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Junhai HaoSchool of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
Jiang LiuDepartment of Pharmacy, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Jiahui ZhouDepartment of Cardiology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Yuanfeng LiangDepartment of Geriatrics, Guangdong Provincial Geriatrics Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Wanwen ChenDepartment of Cardiology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Yueheng WuDepartment of Cardiac Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China. wuyueheng@gdph.org.cn.
Zhanyi LinSchool of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China. linzhanyi@gdph.org.cn.

Funding

Guangdong Provincial Clinical Medical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases 2023B110009Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province 2025B1111090001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe trans-differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) into macrophage-like phenotypes contributes substantially to the advancement of atherosclerotic lesions. However, it remains uncertain whether this trans-differentiation is involved in the early pathogenesis of human coronary atherosclerosis. Given that lipid deposition is a pathological hallmark of early-stage atheroma and that single-cell evidence implicates lipid-processing signatures in VSMC trans-differentiation, it was hypothesized that lipid infiltration critically triggers this process during the early stages of coronary atherosclerosis.

methodsClinical information and lipid profiles were collected from 38 heart transplant recipients. Coronary artery specimens were obtained from their explanted hearts and classified as initial lesions, fatty streaks, or advanced lesions. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and immunofluorescence (IF) analyses were performed on the tissue samples to assess lipid infiltration, VSMC phenotype, and trans-differentiation.

resultsLipid infiltration and VSMC phenotype switching were observed at the initial lesion stage. IHC and semi-quantitative analysis showed that with increasing lipid infiltration, the densities of foam cells, fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4)

conclusionsLipid infiltration begins in the early stages of human coronary artery atherosclerotic lesions and may promote trans-differentiation of intimal SMCs into macrophage-like cells, as indicated by expression of the macrophage-associated protein FABP4. These findings provide novel insight into early atherogenesis and may help identify potential targets for timely prevention and intervention in cardiovascular disease.

Indexed as

Cell TransdifferentiationCoronary Artery DiseaseMacrophagesMuscle, Smooth, VascularMyocytes, Smooth MuscleAdultAgedAntigens, CDAntigens, Differentiation, MyelomonocyticCD68 MoleculeCoronary VesselsFatty Acid-Binding ProteinsFemaleFoam CellsHumansLipid MetabolismAntigens, CDAntigens, Differentiation, MyelomonocyticCD68 antigen, humanCD68 MoleculeFABP4 protein, humanFatty Acid-Binding ProteinsAtherosclerosisFatty acid-binding proteinsLipid metabolismMuscle, smooth, vascular

Identifiers

PMID40660209
PMCPMC12261569

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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 Socratic graph.