Atherosclerosis (AS), the pathological basis of most cardiovascular diseases, is a chronic inflammatory vascular disease with disorders of lipid metabolism. It is characterized by excessive lipid accumulation and foaming of macrophages and smooth muscle cells in the intima of blood vessels, which triggers atherosclerotic plaque development and subsequent thrombus formation. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is a class of cholesterol-rich lipoprotein particles that transport cholesterol from peripheral cells to the liver for biliary excretion via reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), which is thoug...
