Wang Si-Yu, Chen Yu-Shan, Jin Bo-Yuan, Bilal Ahmad
Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
The First Clinical Medical College, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Front Cardiovasc Med. 2025 Apr 25;12:1550930. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2025.1550930. eCollection 2025.
Atherosclerosis (AS), a chronic inflammatory disease, remains a leading contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Recent studies highlight the critical role of the cGAS-STING pathway-a key innate immune signaling cascade-in driving AS progression. This pathway is activated by cytoplasmic DNA from damaged cells, thereby triggering inflammation and accelerating plaque formation. While risk factors such as aging, obesity, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes are known to exacerbate AS, emerging evidence suggests that these factors may also enhance cGAS-STING pathway, which amplifies inflammatory responses. Targeting this pathway offers a promising therapeutic strategy to reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In this review, we summarize the mechanisms of the cGAS-STING pathway, explore its role in AS, and evaluate potential inhibitors as future therapeutic candidates. By integrating current knowledge, we aim to provide insights for developing novel treatments to mitigate AS and CVD burden.
动脉粥样硬化（AS）是一种慢性炎症性疾病，仍然是心血管疾病发病率和死亡率的主要促成因素。最近的研究强调了cGAS-STING途径（一种关键的固有免疫信号级联反应）在推动AS进展中的关键作用。该途径由受损细胞的细胞质DNA激活，从而引发炎症并加速斑块形成。虽然已知衰老、肥胖、吸烟、高血压和糖尿病等危险因素会加剧AS，但新出现的证据表明，这些因素也可能增强cGAS-STING途径，从而放大炎症反应。靶向该途径为减轻心血管疾病（CVD）负担提供了一种有前景的治疗策略。在这篇综述中，我们总结了cGAS-STING途径的机制，探讨了其在AS中的作用，并评估了潜在的抑制剂作为未来的治疗候选物。通过整合现有知识，我们旨在为开发减轻AS和CVD负担的新疗法提供见解。
