Swirski Filip K, Libby Peter, Aikawa Elena, Alcaide Pilar, Luscinskas F William, Weissleder Ralph, Pittet Mikael J
Center for Molecular Imaging Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, USA.
J Clin Invest. 2007 Jan;117(1):195-205. doi: 10.1172/JCI29950.
Macrophage accumulation participates decisively in the development and exacerbation of atherosclerosis. Circulating monocytes, the precursors of macrophages, display heterogeneity in mice and humans, but their relative contribution to atherogenesis remains unknown. We report here that the Ly-6C(hi) monocyte subset increased dramatically in hypercholesterolemic apoE-deficient mice consuming a high-fat diet, with the number of Ly-6C(hi) cells doubling in the blood every month. Ly-6C(hi) monocytes adhered to activated endothelium, infiltrated lesions, and became lesional macrophages. Hypercholesterolemia-associated monocytosis (HAM) developed from increased survival, continued cell proliferation, and impaired Ly-6C(hi) to Ly-6C(lo) conversion and subsided upon statin-induced cholesterol reduction. Conversely, the number of Ly-6C(lo) cells remained unaffected. Thus, we believe that Ly-6C(hi) monocytes represent a newly recognized component of the inflammatory response in experimental atherosclerosis.
巨噬细胞的聚集在动脉粥样硬化的发生和发展过程中起着决定性作用。循环单核细胞作为巨噬细胞的前体,在小鼠和人类中表现出异质性,但其对动脉粥样硬化形成的相对贡献仍不清楚。我们在此报告,在食用高脂饮食的高胆固醇血症载脂蛋白E缺陷小鼠中,Ly-6C(hi)单核细胞亚群显著增加,血液中Ly-6C(hi)细胞数量每月翻倍。Ly-6C(hi)单核细胞黏附于活化的内皮细胞,浸润病变部位,并转变为病变巨噬细胞。高胆固醇血症相关的单核细胞增多症(HAM)是由于存活率增加、细胞持续增殖以及Ly-6C(hi)向Ly-6C(lo)的转化受损所致,在他汀类药物诱导胆固醇降低后消退。相反,Ly-6C(lo)细胞的数量保持不变。因此,我们认为Ly-6C(hi)单核细胞是实验性动脉粥样硬化炎症反应中一个新发现的组成部分。