Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40971038›Full record

ArticleScience China. Life sciences2026

Cathelicidin LL-37-ApoB-100 interaction promotes LDL clearance and attenuates cholesterol accumulation in the liver.

Yaqun Fang, Zhiye Zhang, Qiqi Cao, Gan Wang, Zilei Duan, Ping Meng, Shengwen Zhou, Shuohan Fei, Dawit Adisu Tadese, James Mwangi and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Science China. Life sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Antimicrobial Peptide CPP-C3M4 AttenuatesAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026
    Article
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

13 authors.

Yaqun Fang *Engineering Laboratory of Peptides of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution & Animal Models, Sino-African Joint Research Center, and New Cornerstone Science Institute, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China.
Zhiye Zhang *Engineering Laboratory of Peptides of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution & Animal Models, Sino-African Joint Research Center, and New Cornerstone Science Institute, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China.
Qiqi Cao *Engineering Laboratory of Peptides of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution & Animal Models, Sino-African Joint Research Center, and New Cornerstone Science Institute, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China.
Gan Wang *Engineering Laboratory of Peptides of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution & Animal Models, Sino-African Joint Research Center, and New Cornerstone Science Institute, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China.
Zilei DuanEngineering Laboratory of Peptides of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution & Animal Models, Sino-African Joint Research Center, and New Cornerstone Science Institute, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China.
Ping MengKey Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease of Yunnan Province, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Yan'an Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650041, China.
Shengwen ZhouEngineering Laboratory of Peptides of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution & Animal Models, Sino-African Joint Research Center, and New Cornerstone Science Institute, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China.
Shuohan FeiEngineering Laboratory of Peptides of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution & Animal Models, Sino-African Joint Research Center, and New Cornerstone Science Institute, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China.
Dawit Adisu TadeseEngineering Laboratory of Peptides of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution & Animal Models, Sino-African Joint Research Center, and New Cornerstone Science Institute, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China.
James MwangiEngineering Laboratory of Peptides of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution & Animal Models, Sino-African Joint Research Center, and New Cornerstone Science Institute, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China.
Qiumin LuEngineering Laboratory of Peptides of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution & Animal Models, Sino-African Joint Research Center, and New Cornerstone Science Institute, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China.
Heyu NiDepartment of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Department of Medicine, and Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1A1, Canada. Heyu.Ni@unityhealth.to.
Ren LaiEngineering Laboratory of Peptides of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution & Animal Models, Sino-African Joint Research Center, and New Cornerstone Science Institute, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China. rlai@mail.kiz.ac.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Dysregulation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is strongly correlated with the risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Endogenous molecules targeting LDL clearance play crucial roles in the progression of liver steatosis. Human cathelicidin LL-37 can form complexes with lipoproteins, but whether these complexes regulate lipoprotein-driven cholesterol metabolism is not clear. Here, we find that cathelicidin LL-37 binds to LDL via apolipoprotein (Apo)B-100 domains, enhancing the solubility of ApoB-100 and inhibiting the modifications and aggregation of LDL. LL-37-LDL interaction promotes LDL uptake through LDL receptor (LDLR) both in hepatocytes and macrophages. This interaction also promotes LDL cholesterol clearance by facilitating cholesterol excretion and cholesterol efflux. In Apoe

Indexed as

Antimicrobial Cationic PeptidesApolipoprotein B-100CholesterolCholesterol, LDLLiverAnimalsCathelicidinsHepatocytesHumansHypercholesterolemiaMacrophagesMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMice, KnockoutReceptors, LDLAntimicrobial Cationic PeptidesApolipoprotein B-100CathelicidinsCholesterolCholesterol, LDLReceptors, LDLApoB-100cholesterolLDLliver steatosisLL-37

Identifiers

PMID40971038

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.