Cluster of Differentiation 36-Mediated Inflammation and Lipid Metabolism in Cardiovascular Diseases: From Mechanisms to Novel Therapies.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) continue to pose a key challenge to public health because of their high prevalence, mortality, and disability rates, together with a trend toward younger age at onset. Chronic inflammation and disordered lipid metabolism are key pathological mechanisms underlying the development and progression of CVDs. Although numerous pharmacological agents have been developed to intervene in CVDs, current therapies are still limited by adverse effects, suboptimal efficacy, and insufficient anti-inflammatory properties. Consequently, effective drug-based strategies for the prevention and treatment of certain CVDs are still insufficient. Cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36), a class B scavenger receptor, mediates the recognition and uptake of long-chain fatty acids, oxidized low-density lipoprotein, and other ligands, and is present in diverse tissues and cell types. Accumulating evidence indicates that CD36 plays a critical role in lipid metabolism and inflammatory signalling pathways implicated in CVDs, suggesting that it represents a promising focus for treatment-oriented interventions. This review synthesizes current evidence on the multifaceted roles of CD36 in lipid metabolism dysregulation and inflammation-associated pathways in CVDs and evaluates its potential as a tractable target for disease prevention and management.