Adenosine A(2A) receptor activation supports an atheroprotective cholesterol balance in human macrophages and endothelial cells.

The adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) plays an important role in the regulation of inflammatory and immune responses. Our previous work has demonstrated that A2AR agonists exhibit atheroprotective effects by increasing expression of reverse cholesterol transport proteins in cultured human macrophages. This study explores the impact of pharmacologic activation/inhibition and gene silencing of A2AR on cholesterol homeostasis in both THP-1 human monocytes/macrophages and primary human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC).