C1QTNF9 and atherosclerosis: CTRP9 regulates lipid metabolism and enhances the AMPK/mTOR autophagy signaling pathway to enhance acid-lipid-mediated cholesterol efflux, increases the level of expression of the cholesterol-transporting receptors like ATP-binding membrane cassette transporter (ABC) A1, and G1 (ABCG1), which accelerates cholesterol efflux from foam cells, thereby preventing THP-1 macrophages from forming foam cells and slowing progression of early atherosclerosis [24, 38].