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The immune system in atherosclerosis

Nature Immunology volume 12, pages 204–212 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

Cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of mortality worldwide, is caused mainly by atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease of blood vessels. Lesions of atherosclerosis contain macrophages, T cells and other cells of the immune response, together with cholesterol that infiltrates from the blood. Targeted deletion of genes encoding costimulatory factors and proinflammatory cytokines results in less disease in mouse models, whereas interference with regulatory immunity accelerates it. Innate as well as adaptive immune responses have been identified in atherosclerosis, with components of cholesterol-carrying low-density lipoprotein triggering inflammation, T cell activation and antibody production during the course of disease. Studies are now under way to develop new therapies based on these concepts of the involvement of the immune system in atherosclerosis.

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Figure 1: Immune components of the atherosclerotic plaque.

Katie Vicari

Figure 2: T cell activation in the vessel wall.

Katie Vicari

Figure 3: Activation of innate immune responses in the atheroma.

Katie Vicari

Figure 4: Inverse relationship between the uptake of antigen-presenting cells and T cell recognition of oxLDL.

Katie Vicari

Figure 5: Mechanisms of LDL tolerance and autoreactivity: a hypothesis.

Katie Vicari

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Acknowledgements

We thank J. Andersson and A.-K. Robertson for critical reading of the manuscript. Supported by the Swedish Research Council, Foundation for Strategic Research, VINNOVA, the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, the Leducq Foundation and the European Union (AtheroRemo project).

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  1. Department of Medicine at Karolinska University Hospital Solna, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Göran K Hansson & Andreas Hermansson

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Correspondence to Göran K Hansson.

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TG.K.H. and A.H. have submitted patent applications in the area reviewed.

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Hansson, G., Hermansson, A. The immune system in atherosclerosis. Nat Immunol 12, 204–212 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni.2001

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