Inflammation in coronary artery disease-clinical implications of novel HDL-cholesterol-related inflammatory parameters as predictors

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Inflammation and atherosclerotic plaques are the primary pathological mechanisms of CAD. Upon stimulation by deposited lipids and damaged endothelium, innate and adaptive immune cells are activated and recruited to initiate plaque development. Therefore, inflammatory cells and mediators are used to identify inflammatory risk in CAD patients. HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) is demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory roles in atherosclerosis by interfering with plasma membrane lipid rafts of immune cells. Based on this, novel inflammatory parameters such as monocyte to HDL-C ratio are explored to improve the risk estimation of CAD prognosis. Moreover, with the advance in treatment strategies targeting the inflammatory process in atherosclerosis, identifying CAD patients with increased inflammatory risk by novel inflammatory parameters is of great importance in guiding CAD management. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the current information regarding inflammatory activation and HDL-C in atherosclerosis with a particular focus on the clinical implication of the novel HDL-C-related inflammatory parameters in CAD.