Oligosaccharides as Potential Therapeutics against Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is the major cause of cardiovascular-disease-related death worldwide, resulting from the subendothelial accumulation of lipoprotein-derived cholesterol, ultimately leading to chronic inflammation and the formation of clinically significant atherosclerotic plaques. Oligosaccharides have been widely used in biomedical research and therapy, including tissue engineering, wound healing, and drug delivery. Moreover, oligosaccharides have been consumed by humans for centuries, and are cheap, and available in large amounts. Given the constantly increasing number of obesity, diabetes, and hyperlipidaemia cases, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutics that can economically and effectively slow the progression of atherosclerosis. In this review, we address the current state of knowledge in oligosaccharides research, and provide an update of the recent in vitro and in vivo experiments that precede clinical studies. The application of oligosaccharides could help to eliminate the residual risk after the application of other cholesterol-lowering medicines, and provide new therapeutic opportunities to reduce the associated burden of premature deaths because of atherosclerosis.