MTOR and atherosclerosis: α-lipoic Acid sulfate, a fatty acid present in the human body, protects vascular smooth muscle cells from atherosclerosis in T2DM patients by downregulating autophagy through the AMPK/mTOR pathway (170), but Sirt6-mediated Caveolin acetylation 1 is the key factor in atherosclerosis in T2DM through activation of autophagy (171).