Center for Environmental Health Sciences
Research Projects
Lipid Glyceryl Ester Homeostasis in Macrophages and Perturbation by Environmental Toxicants
This renewal application will elucidate the mechanisms by which endogenous toxins (oxidized low-density lipoproteins) and exogenous toxicants (pesticides) can together dysregulate the endocannabinoid system in macrophages, thus enhancing foam cell development. Combination therapies that utilize both cannabinoid (CB) 1 receptor antagonists and CB2 receptor agonists could be developed to restore homeostasis within the vessel wall, thereby promoting human health. This study will help to determine the feasibility of this approach.
