Palmitic acid in type 2 diabetes mellitus promotes atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability via macrophage Dll4 signaling

Xiqiang Wang, Ling Zhu, Jing Liu, Yanpeng Ma, Chuan Qiu, Chengfeng Liu, Yangchao Gong, Ya Yuwen, Gongchang Guan, Yong Zhang (), Shuo Pan (), Junkui Wang () and Zhongwei Liu ()
Additional contact information
Xiqiang Wang: Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital
Ling Zhu: Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital
Jing Liu: Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital
Yanpeng Ma: Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital
Chuan Qiu: Tulane University
Chengfeng Liu: Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital
Yangchao Gong: Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital
Ya Yuwen: Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital
Gongchang Guan: Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital
Yong Zhang: Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital
Shuo Pan: Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital
Junkui Wang: Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital
Zhongwei Liu: Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: Abstract Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus are increasingly susceptible to atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability, leading to severe cardiovascular events. In this study, we demonstrate that elevated serum levels of palmitic acid, a type of saturated fatty acid, are significantly linked to this enhanced vulnerability in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Through a combination of human cohort studies and animal models, our research identifies a key mechanistic pathway: palmitic acid induces macrophage Delta-like ligand 4 signaling, which in turn triggers senescence in vascular smooth muscle cells. This process is critical for plaque instability due to reduced collagen synthesis and deposition. Importantly, our findings reveal that macrophage-specific knockout of Delta-like ligand 4 in atherosclerotic mice leads to reduced plaque burden and improved stability, highlighting the potential of targeting this pathway. These insights offer a promising direction for developing therapeutic strategies to mitigate cardiovascular risks in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-45582-8 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-45582-8

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45582-8

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().