Both monocytes (MCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) express apelin and APJ, which play important roles in the physiological processes of atherosclerosis.
In conclusion, miR-497 contributes to oxLDL-induced lipid deposition in macrophages largely via targeting of apelin and thus represents a potential therapeutic target for atherosclerosis.
The apelin/apelin receptor pathway is also implicated in atherosclerosis, hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure, diabetes and obesity, making it a promising therapeutic target.
Therefore, our studies provide important new insight into the inhibition of lipid accumulation and pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion by apelin-13, and highlight apelin-13 as a promising therapeutic target in atherosclerosis.