Background: Angiopoietin-Like Proteins (ANGPTLs) are structurally related to the angiopoietins. A total of eight ANGPTLs (from ANGPTL1 to ANGPTL8) have been identified so far. Most ANGPTLs possess multibiological functions on lipid metabolism, atherosclerosis, and cancer. Among them, ANGPTL3 has been shown to regulate the levels of Very Low-Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) made by the liver and play a crucial role in human lipoprotein metabolism.

Method: A systematic appraisal of ANGPTLs was conducted, focusing on the main features of ANGPTL3 that has a significant role in atherosclerosis.

Results: Angiopoietins including ANGPTL3 are vascular growth factors that are highly specific for endothelial cells, perform a variety of other regulatory activities to influence inflammation, and have been shown to possess both pro-atherosclerotic and atheroprotective effects.

Conclusion: ANGPTL3 has been demonstrated as a promising target in the pharmacological management of atherosclerosis. However, many questions remain about its biological functions.

背景：血管生成素样蛋白（ANGPTL）与血管生成素在结构上相关。到目前为止，总共确定了八个ANGPTL（从ANGPTL1到ANGPTL8）。大多数ANGPTL在脂类代谢，动脉粥样硬化和癌症方面具有多种生物学功能。其中，ANGPTL3已被证明可调节肝脏产生的极低密度脂蛋白（VLDL）的水平，并在人类脂蛋白代谢中起关键作用。

方法：系统地评估了ANGPTL，重点研究了在动脉粥样硬化中起重要作用的ANGPTL3的主要特征。

结果：包括ANGPTL3在内的血管生成素是对内皮细胞高度特异性的血管生长因子，具有多种其他调节作用以影响炎症，并且已显示出具有促动脉粥样硬化作用和动脉粥样硬化保护作用。

结论：ANGPTL3已被证明是动脉粥样硬化药理管理中的有希望的靶标。然而，关于其生物学功能仍然存在许多疑问。