Role of ABCA1 in Atherosclerosis: Novel Mutations and Potential Plant-derived Therapies.

ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) is one of the key proteins regulating cholesterol homeostasis and playing a crucial role in atherosclerosis development. ABCA1 regulates the rate-limiting step of reverse cholesterol transport, facilitates the efflux of surplus intracellular cholesterol and phospholipids, and suppresses inflammation through several signalling pathways. At the same time, many mutations and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified in the ABCA1 gene, which affects its biological function and is associated with several hereditary diseases (such as familial hypo-alpha-lipoproteinaemia and Tangier disease) and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This review summarises recently identified mutations and SNPs in their connection to atherosclerosis and associated CVDs. Also, we discuss the recently described application of various plant-derived compounds to modulate ABCA1 expression in different in vitro and in vivo models. Herein, we present a comprehensive overview of the association of ABCA1 mutations and SNPs with CVDs and as a pharmacological target for different natural-derived compounds and highlight the potential application of these phytochemicals for treating atherosclerosis through modulation of ABCA1 expression.