Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.
Thromb Haemost. 2013 Mar;109(3):391-8. doi: 10.1160/TH12-11-0831. Epub 2013 Jan 17.
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a pleiotropic cytokine with chemokine-like functions. MIF is a critical mediator of the host immune and inflammatory response. Dysregulated MIF expression has been demonstrated to contribute to various acute and chronic inflammatory conditions as well as cancer development. More recently, MIF has been identified as an important pro-atherogenic factor. Its blockade could even aid plaque regression in advanced atherosclerosis. Promotion of atherogenic leukocyte recruitment processes has been recognised as a major underlying mechanism of MIF in vascular pathology. However, MIF's role in vascular biology is not limited to immune cell recruitment as recent evidence also points to a role for this mediator in neo-angiogenesis / vasculogenesis by endothelial cell activation and endothelial progenitor cell recruitment. On the basis of introducing MIF's chemokine-like functions, the current article focusses on MIF's role in vascular biology and pathology.
巨噬细胞移动抑制因子（MIF）是一种具有趋化因子样功能的多功能细胞因子。MIF 是宿主免疫和炎症反应的关键介质。失调的 MIF 表达已被证明有助于各种急性和慢性炎症疾病以及癌症的发展。最近，MIF 已被确定为一个重要的促动脉粥样硬化因子。其阻断甚至可以帮助在晚期动脉粥样硬化中斑块消退。促进动脉粥样硬化性白细胞募集过程已被认为是 MIF 在血管病理学中的主要潜在机制。然而，MIF 在血管生物学中的作用不仅限于免疫细胞募集，因为最近的证据还表明，这种介质通过内皮细胞激活和内皮祖细胞募集在新血管生成/血管发生中发挥作用。基于介绍 MIF 的趋化因子样功能，本文重点介绍 MIF 在血管生物学和病理学中的作用。
