Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is the principal contributor to myocardial infarction, the leading cause of death worldwide. Epidemiological and mechanistic studies indicate that β-carotene and its vitamin A derivatives stimulate lipid catabolism in several tissues to reduce the incidence of obesity, but their roles within ASCVD are elusive. Herein, we review the mechanisms by which β-carotene and vitamin A modulate ASCVD. First, we summarize the current knowledge linking these nutrients with epidemiological studies and lipoprotein metabolism as one of the initiating factors of ASCVD. Next, we focus on different aspects of vitamin A metabolism in immune cells such as the mechanisms of carotenoid uptake and conversion to the vitamin A metabolite, retinoic acid. Lastly, we review the effects of retinoic acid on immuno-metabolism, differentiation, and function of macrophages and T cells, the two pillars of the innate and adaptive immune response in ASCVD, respectively.

This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Carotenoids recent advances in cell and molecular biology edited by Johannes von Lintig and Loredana Quadro.

动脉粥样硬化性心血管疾病 (ASCVD) 是导致心肌梗塞的主要原因，心肌梗塞是全球死亡的主要原因。流行病学和机制研究表明，β-胡萝卜素及其维生素 A 衍生物可刺激多种组织中的脂质分解代谢，以降低肥胖的发生率，但它们在 ASCVD 中的作用尚不清楚。在此，我们回顾了 β-胡萝卜素和维生素 A 调节 ASCVD 的机制。首先，我们总结了将这些营养素与流行病学研究和脂蛋白代谢联系起来的当前知识，脂蛋白代谢是 ASCVD 的起始因素之一。接下来，我们关注免疫细胞中维生素 A 代谢的不同方面，例如类胡萝卜素摄取和转化为维生素 A 代谢物视黄酸的机制。最后，我们回顾了视黄酸对免疫代谢的影响，

本文是由 Johannes von Lintig 和 Loredana Quadro 编辑的题为类胡萝卜素在细胞和分子生物学方面的最新进展特刊的一部分。