Advanced glycation end products affect cholesterol homeostasis by impairing ABCA1 expression on macrophages

Reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), which is intimately linked to high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), plays a key role in cholesterol homeostasis and the prevention of atherosclerosis. The goal of the present study was to investigate the effect of aging and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) on RCT as well as on other factors that may affect this anti-atherogenic property of HDLs. The transfer of macrophage-derived cholesterol to the plasma and liver and then to the feces for elimination was significantly lower in aged mice than in young mice. Chronic injection of D-galactose (D-gal) or AGEs also significantly reduced RCT (65.3% reduction in [3H]-cholesterol levels in the plasma of D-gal-treated mice after 48 h compared to control mice, PThe accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author