Atorvastatin enhances foam cell lipophagy and promotes cholesterol efflux through the AMPK/mTOR pathway.

Foam cells are the main pathological components of atherosclerosis. Therapies reducing foam cell formation can effectively prevent atherosclerotic diseases and cardiovascular events. Beyond lowering plasma cholesterol levels, the pleiotropic functions of statins in atherosclerosis have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, atorvastatin reduced cholesterol content and increased cholesterol efflux from foam cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Atorvastatin (10μM) inhibited foam cell formation within 48 h. Furthermore, we found that atorvastatin inhibited foam cell formation by promoting lipophagy, which was manifested by increased autophagy-related gene 5 (Atg5) expression, elevated ratio of microtubule-associated protein1 light chain 3 (LC3) II to LC3I, reduced p62 expression, and increased LC3 and lipid droplets (LD) colocalization in foam cells treated with atorvastatin. The autophagy inducer, rapamycin (Rap), did not increase the lipophagy enhancement effect of atorvastatin, but the autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyladenine (3-MA), suppressed the effect of atorvastatin on Atg5 expression and the LC3II/LC3I ratio, as well as the increased p62 expression, suppressed lipophagy, attenuated cholesterol efflux and increased cholesterol content in foam cells. Further analysis revealed that atorvastatin promoted lipophagy by upregulating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation, and downregulating mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) phosphorylation, whereas the AMPK inhibiter, compound C, attenuated these effects. In conclusion, atorvastatin reduced lipid accumulation and promoted cholesterol efflux by enhancing lipophagy in foam cells and thereby inhibited foam cell formation. The enhanced lipophagy of foam cells was exerted through the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway.