In vitro Raman imaging of human macrophages: Impact of eicosapentaenoic acid on the hydrolysis of cholesterol esters in lipid droplets

Atherosclerosis – a cardiovascular disease and the primary cause of morbidity and mortality in industrialized countries – is linked to the existence of atherosclerotic plaques characterized by cholesterol-laden macrophages called foam cells. In these cells, cholesterol esters associated with triglycerides form lipid droplets (LD). The only way to remove this excess cholesterol is to promote free cholesterol efflux from macrophages to specific acceptors. It has been shown recently that eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) reduces efflux on cholesterol-loaded THP-1 macrophages in vitro due to decreased cholesterol esters hydrolysis. These in vitro observations could reflect EPA's difficulty in facilitating in vivo the antiatherogenic process of cholesterol efflux within advanced atherosclerotic plaques.