Acyl-Coenzyme A: Cholesterol Acyltransferase Inhibition in Cancer Treatment

Abstract

Overexpression of acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) results in increased cholesteryl ester levels and has been involved in a variety of cancer types. As a consequence, cholesterol metabolism has raised interest as a potential target for cancer treatment. Inhibition of ACAT results in suppression of proliferation in a range of cancer cell types both in vitro and in vivo. The exact mechanism of this phenomenon is being investigated, and the most important findings are presented in this review.

Keywords: ACAT; Cholesterol metabolism; avasimibe; cancer; review.