Epoxycholesterol impairs cholesteryl ester hydrolysis in macrophage foam cells, resulting in decreased cholesterol efflux.

Objective: Strategies to inhibit or reverse cholesterol accumulation in macrophages have been shown to be atheroprotective. Notably, the administration of LXR agonists upregulates key players in the reverse cholesterol transport pathway, including the ABCA1 and ABCG1 transporters. However, the effects of natural LXR activators, oxysterols, on lipid-laden macrophages remains elusive.