As one of the biggest threats to human life and health,
atherosclerosis (AS) can cause
heart disease,
stroke and peripheral vascular changes.
Low-density lipoprotein (
LDL) cholesterol is an identified risk for AS. In the presence of oxidative stress,
LDL particles can be oxidized to form
lipoproteins, which are particularly atherosclerotic. The pathogenesis of AS and traditional treatment for AS are reviewed. Since
cyclodextrin (CD) is a widely used cyclic
oligosaccharide functioned as a solubilizer and hydrophobic
drug inclusion compound, it can promote
cholesterol dissolution, increase
cholesterol efflux and LXR-dependent cellular reprogramming, and activate the anti-inflammatory mechanism. The rapid development of nanotechnology may provide broad prospects for the development of new nanomaterials, especially amphiphilic
micelles and polymosomes, thus combining with CD to promote AS degeneration, reduce
inflammation, and enhance the reverse transport of
cholesterol. Therefore, to build a drug delivery system based on CD which can achieve an efficient entrapment of anti-atherosclerotic drugs is a new promising strategy in future.