Journal: Bioactive Materials
Article Title: A foam cell-targeted lipophagy restoration strategy stabilizes vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques
doi: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2026.02.041
Figure Lengend Snippet: Schematic of the anti-atherosclerotic mechanism of OPN-HMCN@MLT. ( A ) The study commenced with the synthesis of mesoporous carbon nanospheres (MCN) functionalized with an OPN-binding peptide and hyaluronic acid to construct the OPN-HMCN nanoplatform. The OPN-binding peptide was designed to recognize OPN enriched in the extracellular matrix and on the surface of foam cells, thereby enabling selective accumulation in OPN-rich pathological regions. Following OPN recognition, OPN-HMCN@MLT undergoes CD44-dependent endocytosis. Melatonin (MLT), a lipid autophagy–promoting agent, was subsequently encapsulated within the nanocarrier to form OPN-HMCN@MLT. Firstly, the released MLT can bind to and upregulate the expression of PPARα and PPARγ, which then promote the expression of downstream genes (ABCA1, ABCG1, ACOX-1, and CTP1A) and trigger the lipophagy. ( B ) Subsequently, its lipophagy-enhancing effects, including ABCA1/G1-mediated cholesterol efflux and CTP1A/ACOX-1-mediated mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation, were studied to confirm the reversal of foam cell formation. ( C ) These effects eventually promote foam cells to reverse into macrophages. Abbreviations: MCN, mesoporous carbon nanoparticle; OPN, osteopontin; MLT, melatonin; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; ox-LDL, oxidized low-density lipoprotein; PA, Photoacoustic.
Article Snippet: To block nonspecific binding, membranes were incubated with 5% skim milk for 1 h. Thereafter, membranes were incubated overnight at 4 °C with primary antibodies against ABCA1, ABCG1, ACOX1, CPT1A, LC3 (ab192890, 1:2000, abcam), LAMP1 (84658-5-RR, 1:8000, Proteintech), PPARα (66826-1-Ig, 1:3000, Proteintech), PPARγ (66936-1-Ig, 1:10000, Proteintech), P62 (18420-1-AP, 1:10000, Proteintech), MCAD (55210-1-AP, 1:3000, Proteintech), LCAD (17526-1-AP, 1:10000, Proteintech), tubulin (80762-1-RR, 1:10000, Proteintech), GAPDH (60004-1-Ig, 1:50000, Proteintech), and β-actin (66009-1-Ig, 1:20000, Proteintech).
Techniques: Binding Assay, Construct, Expressing