T Lymphocytes in Atherosclerosis

Lymphocytes in atherosclerosis.

Lymphocytes in atherosclerosis.

It is well established that atherosclerosis is caused by an inflammatory process in the arterial intima. However, it is only in recent years that it has become clear that this inflammation is modulated by immune responses against plaque antigens. These antigens are primarily believed to be modified self-antigens such as oxidized LDL. The immune system is challenged to determine whether these an...

The influence of the regulatory T lymphocytes on atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is complex inflammatory disease of the arterial wall, in which T lymphocytes play a significant role.1 Since the recognition that T lymphocytes are present in human atherosclerotic plaque nearly 2 decades ago,2 research has focused on the functional importance of these cells in the atherosclerotic process. The majority of T lymphocytes in atherosclerotic lesions are CD4 T-helper...

Do polarized T lymphocytes and T regulatory lymphocytes play a role only in the animal model of atherosclerosis?

Lymphocytes are important in early atherosclerosis.

Lymphocytes represent a potentially important proinflammatory cell that localizes to atherosclerotic lesions. To determine whether they contribute to lesion development, atherosclerosis-prone (LDLR(-/-)) mice were crossed with lymphocyte-deficient (RAG1(-/-)) mice to generate double knockout progeny. After 8 weeks on a Western-type diet (WTD), lesion development was reduced by 54% in double kno...