Atherosclerosis (AS) remains the leading cause for global cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality, and a major cause of cardiopathy, myocardial infarction and peripheral vascular diseases. Macrophages serve a critical role in atherosclerotic plaque stabilization and rupture, and the selective removal of macrophages may be beneficial in improving plaque stability. Autophagy is a process of self-feeding, during which cytoplasmic proteins or organelles are packaged into vesicles and fused with the lysosome to form an autophagosome. The newly formed autophagosome can degrade internalized pr...
