Department of Medicine and Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-5158, USA.
J Clin Invest. 2012 Jan;122(1):27-30. doi: 10.1172/JCI61163. Epub 2011 Dec 27.
Inflammation is a critical component of atherosclerosis. IL-1 is a classic proinflammatory cytokine that has been linked to atherosclerosis. A clinical trial has been launched in which an antibody specific for IL-1β is being studied for its effects on cardiovascular events in patients with atherosclerosis. In this issue of the JCI, Alexander et al. report that mice lacking the receptor for IL-1 unexpectedly have features of advanced atherosclerosis that suggest the atherosclerotic plaques may be less stable. These findings illustrate the complexity of inflammatory pathways in atherosclerosis and suggest the need for careful calibration of antiinflammatory approaches to atherosclerosis.
炎症是动脉粥样硬化的一个关键组成部分。IL-1 是一种经典的促炎细胞因子,与动脉粥样硬化有关。一项临床试验已经启动,正在研究针对 IL-1β 的抗体对动脉粥样硬化患者心血管事件的影响。在本期 JCI 中,Alexander 等人报告说,缺乏 IL-1 受体的小鼠出人意料地表现出晚期动脉粥样硬化的特征,这表明动脉粥样硬化斑块可能不太稳定。这些发现说明了动脉粥样硬化中炎症途径的复杂性,并表明需要仔细校准抗动脉粥样硬化的抗炎方法。