Inhibition of apoptosis, autophagy and necrosis in atherosclerosis as potential therapy for plaque stabilization.

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease which is characterized by the formation of plaques in the arterial wall. Destabilization of atherosclerotic plaques causes plaque rupture which can lead to severe complications such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Atherosclerotic plaques become unstable due to intensive cell death of macrophages, smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells. We will therefore inhibit the three main forms of cell death, namely apoptosis, autophagy and necrosis in mice via a genetic and if possible, a pharmacological approach. In this way, we hope to improve plaque stability and contribute to the development of novel plaque stabilizing therapies.

Keywords:AUTOPHAGY, PLAQUE STABILIZATION, APOPTOSIS, NECROSIS

Disciplines:Biomarker discovery and evaluation, Drug discovery and development, Medicinal products, Pharmaceutics, Pharmacognosy and phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Pharmacotherapy, Toxicology and toxinology, Other pharmaceutical sciences