Department of Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Clin Immunol. 2010 Jan;134(1):47-54. doi: 10.1016/j.clim.2009.08.013. Epub 2009 Sep 11.
Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory condition characterised by an abundance of activated immunocompetent cells in plaques which cause cardiovascular disease (CVD) when they rupture. Oxidized forms of low density lipoprotein (OxLDL) are a major constituent of atherosclerotic plaques and have proinflammatory effects, making oxLDL a candidate factor promoting atherosclerosis. In previous studies we and others demonstrated that platelet-activating factor (PAF)-like lipids in oxLDL may cause oxLDL-induced immune-stimulatory effects. A common denominator is phosphorylcholine (PC), a hapten-like epitope which is exposed on OxLDL and some microorganisms. We recently demonstrated that anti-PC has anti-inflammatory properties and that low levels of anti-PC predict the development of stroke and myocardial infarction. We hypothesize that low anti-PC represents a novel paradigm as a cause of chronic inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis where oxidized and/or inflammatory phospholipids play a role. It is possible that anti-PC can be used as a novel diagnostic tool and therapy in atherosclerotic disease.
动脉粥样硬化是一种炎症性疾病，其特征是斑块中存在大量活化的免疫活性细胞，当这些细胞破裂时会导致心血管疾病 (CVD)。氧化型低密度脂蛋白 (OxLDL) 是动脉粥样硬化斑块的主要成分，具有促炎作用，使 OxLDL 成为促进动脉粥样硬化的候选因素。在之前的研究中，我们和其他人证明了 OxLDL 中的血小板激活因子 (PAF)-样脂质可能导致 OxLDL 诱导的免疫刺激性作用。一个共同点是磷酸胆碱 (PC)，它是 OxLDL 和一些微生物上暴露的类半抗原表位。我们最近证明，抗 PC 具有抗炎特性，而低水平的抗 PC 预示着中风和心肌梗死的发生。我们假设低水平的抗 PC 代表了一种新的范式，作为一种导致动脉粥样硬化等慢性炎症性疾病的原因，其中氧化和/或炎症性磷脂发挥作用。抗 PC 可能被用作动脉粥样硬化疾病的一种新的诊断工具和治疗方法。
