Cited by 79Cholesterol and Lipid MetabolismLipoproteins and Cardiovascular HealthNatural Products and Biological Research

The Efficacy of Squalene in Cardiovascular Disease Risk-A Systematic Review

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Ibrahim, Nurul ‘Izzah, Fairus, Syed, Zulfarina, Mohamed S., Naina Mohamed, Isa·2020·Nutrients

Abstract

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Squalene (SQ), an intermediate for the cholesterol biosynthesis, has been proposed to act similarly to statins via inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase in the liver. Purpose: This paper explores the effects of SQ in CVD. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was performed to identify relevant studies about SQ and CVD. A comprehensive search in Medline and Scopus for relevant studies published between the years 1946 and 2019 was performed. The main inclusion criteria were that the study was published in English; that the study reported association or effect of SQ and CVD; and that CVD should be related to lifestyle variables, aging, or experimentally induced conditions. Results: The literature searches identified 5562 potentially relevant articles, whereby 21 studies met the inclusion criteria. There were three human studies and 18 animal experimental studies included in this paper. Only one human study reported positive outcome of SQ in CVD. The remaining two studies reported inconsistent and/or no effect. For animal studies, 15 studies reported positive effect while the remaining reported negative and/or no effect of SQ on various related parameters. Conclusions: This evidence-based review emphasizes the potential of SQ being used for cardiovascular-related diseases. The effect of SQ, especially of plant-based warrants further exploration. Controlled human observational studies should be performed to provide comprehensive evidence.

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  • Animal trials have shown that squalene might have cardioprotective effects mostly due to its antioxidant properties, modulating atheroma plaque formation in mice, although its potential hypocholesterolemic effects varied depending on the animal model and the amount of squalene fed.

    “On the other hand, animal trials have shown that squalene might have cardioprotective effects mostly due to its antioxidant properties, modulating atheroma plaque formation in mice, although its potential hypocholesterolemic effects varied depending on the animal model and the amount of squalene fed [31].”

    From Olive pomace oil can improve blood lipid profile: a randomized, blind, crossover, controlled clinical trial in healthy and at-risk volunteers (2022) · cites this paper as [31]

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  1. [35]Bhattacharjee P. Singhal R.S. Extraction of Squalene from Yeast by Supercritical Carbon Dioxid World J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2003 19 605 608 10.1023/A:1025146132281 · DOI

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Authors
Ibrahim, N. ‘., Fairus, S., Zulfarina, M. S., & Naina Mohamed, I.
Affiliations
  • University Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (MY)
  • Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MY)
  • Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety Unit, Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Venue
Nutrients
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2020-02-05
Volume
12
Issue
2
Pages
414
ISSN
2072-6643 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3004613195
Cited by
79
References
114
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 7
FWCI
2.72
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nutrients (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (FF-2019-125)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Cholesterol and Lipid Metabolism
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Lipoproteins and Cardiovascular Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Natural Products and Biological Research
Keywords
squalene, cardiovascular disease, cholesterol biosynthesis, HMG-CoA reductase inhibition, statins, cardiovascular risk, animal studies, human subjects research
MeSH terms
Animals, Cardiovascular Diseases, Humans, Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases, Liver, Primary Prevention, Risk Factors, Squalene

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