Linde Annika, Mosier Derek, Blecha Frank, Melgarejo Tonatiuh
Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA.
Cardiovasc Res. 2007 Jan 1;73(1):26-36. doi: 10.1016/j.cardiores.2006.08.009. Epub 2006 Aug 22.
Innate immunity and inflammation play key roles in a wide range of pathology - including heart disease and vasculopathies. Current thinking suggests "damage" rather than "foreignness" as the actual trigger of the immune system, which has caused a dramatic change in how we tend to view the etiopathology of most types of heart disease. The future potential of certain anti-inflammatory therapeutic strategies in addressing heart disease is intriguing. Still, the Janus face of immunity/inflammation cannot be over emphasized as adverse manipulation of these systems may prove ineffectual or worse, damaging. Knowledge on functional characteristics of individual immune mediators is undoubtedly a central theme, but in depth understanding of the multiple biological actions of these molecules, as well as their contextual function, is the corner stone in deciding on potential future targets for pharmacologic manipulation. Animal models of human heart disease are currently being investigated and clinical trials conducted to gain further knowledge in this essential area of cardiovascular research, but the scarcity of cardiovascular research focusing on signaling molecules and pathways of innate immunity is still evident. Genomic and proteomic research in heart disease is going through its formative years, and much is still unknown about the complex pathway dynamics utilized by the innate immune system. This review will provide an overview of the current literature focusing on innate immunity and the heart, and hopefully will spark an interest in further basic as well as clinical research. As more information on cardiovascular immunity becomes available, this will provide a better understanding and thus act as the foundation for potential development of new treatment strategies for treatment of cardiovascular disorders.
固有免疫和炎症在包括心脏病和血管病变在内的广泛病理过程中发挥着关键作用。目前的观点认为，免疫系统的实际触发因素是“损伤”而非“异物”，这导致了我们对大多数类型心脏病病因病理学的看法发生了巨大变化。某些抗炎治疗策略在治疗心脏病方面的未来潜力令人关注。然而，免疫/炎症的两面性再怎么强调都不为过，因为对这些系统的不良操控可能证明是无效的，甚至更糟，会造成损害。了解单个免疫介质的功能特性无疑是一个核心主题，但深入了解这些分子的多种生物学作用及其背景功能，是确定未来潜在药物操控靶点的基石。目前正在研究人类心脏病的动物模型并开展临床试验，以在心血管研究的这一重要领域获取更多知识，但专注于固有免疫信号分子和途径的心血管研究仍然匮乏。心脏病的基因组和蛋白质组研究尚处于起步阶段，对于固有免疫系统所利用的复杂信号通路动态仍知之甚少。本综述将概述当前关注固有免疫与心脏的文献，希望能激发进一步的基础研究和临床研究兴趣。随着越来越多关于心血管免疫的信息出现，这将有助于更好地理解，并为开发治疗心血管疾病的新治疗策略奠定基础。
