Mallat Ziad, Tedgui Alain
INSERM U541, Circulation Paris VII Institut Fédératif de Recherche, Hôpital Lariboisière, 41 Boulevard de la Chapelle, 75010 Paris, France.
Curr Opin Lipidol. 2002 Oct;13(5):523-9. doi: 10.1097/00041433-200210000-00008.
Atherosclerosis is a disease of the arterial wall that seems to be tightly modulated by the local inflammatory balance. Transforming growth factors beta 1, 2 and 3 are cytokines/growth factors with broad activities on cells and tissues in the cardiovascular system, and have been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
In the present review, we discuss recent developments in the role of transforming growth factor beta in the regulation of the immuno-inflammatory balance that modulates atherosclerosis. Such studies strongly suggest that the inhibition of endogenous transforming growth factor beta signalling favours the development of atherosclerotic lesions with an increased inflammatory component (T cells and macrophages) and decreased collagen content, features that are characteristic of unstable atherosclerotic plaques.
Transforming growth factor beta is identified as a critical modulator of the immuno-inflammatory balance in atherosclerosis, and a crucial plaque-stabilizing factor. Future studies should aim at defining the precise molecular mechanisms responsible for this protective effect, and developing immunomodulatory strategies based on the promotion of transforming growth factor beta activity (T regulatory T helper type 3 cells) to limit disease complications.
动脉粥样硬化是一种动脉壁疾病，似乎受到局部炎症平衡的严格调控。转化生长因子β1、β2和β3是细胞因子/生长因子，对心血管系统中的细胞和组织具有广泛作用，并被认为在动脉粥样硬化的发病机制中发挥作用。
在本综述中，我们讨论了转化生长因子β在调节免疫炎症平衡从而调控动脉粥样硬化方面的最新进展。此类研究有力地表明，抑制内源性转化生长因子β信号传导有利于具有更多炎症成分（T细胞和巨噬细胞）且胶原含量降低的动脉粥样硬化病变的发展，这些特征是不稳定动脉粥样硬化斑块的典型表现。
转化生长因子β被确定为动脉粥样硬化中免疫炎症平衡的关键调节因子以及至关重要的斑块稳定因子。未来的研究应致力于确定造成这种保护作用的精确分子机制，并基于促进转化生长因子β活性（3型调节性T辅助细胞）来开发免疫调节策略，以限制疾病并发症。
