Perilipins: Current perspectives on the role in cardiovascular diseases

The perilipin (PLIN) protein family serves as key structural and regulatory proteins on the surface of lipid droplets (LDs), which in turn ensures the storage and mobilization of fatty acids (FAs) in cardiac cells, thereby promoting FAs oxidation and playing a central role in the regulation of cardiomyocytes. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are extremely fatal diseases in today's society, and the prevalence of CVDs increases with age. Its pathophysiology is complex, and the occurrence of CVDs is closely associated with abnormalities in lipid metabolism. Members of the PLIN protein family has been shown to be involved in the cellular function and metabolism-related signaling pathways of various diseases. We primarily review the roles of the PLIN protein family in CVDs and their metabolic mechanisms and propose that targeting PLIN directly or indirectly through pharmacological interventions may influence systemic lipid metabolism, offering a promising therapeutic avenue for improving cardiac function and alleviating metabolically disruptive lipotoxicity.