Ramji Dipak P, Davies Thomas S
Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK.
Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK.
Cytokine Growth Factor Rev. 2015 Dec;26(6):673-85. doi: 10.1016/j.cytogfr.2015.04.003. Epub 2015 May 12.
Atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disorder of the arteries, is responsible for most deaths in westernized societies with numbers increasing at a marked rate in developing countries. The disease is initiated by the activation of the endothelium by various risk factors leading to chemokine-mediated recruitment of immune cells. The uptake of modified lipoproteins by macrophages along with defective cholesterol efflux gives rise to foam cells associated with the fatty streak in the early phase of the disease. As the disease progresses, complex fibrotic plaques are produced as a result of lysis of foam cells, migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells and continued inflammatory response. Such plaques are stabilized by the extracellular matrix produced by smooth muscle cells and destabilized by matrix metalloproteinase from macrophages. Rupture of unstable plaques and subsequent thrombosis leads to clinical complications such as myocardial infarction. Cytokines are involved in all stages of atherosclerosis and have a profound influence on the pathogenesis of this disease. This review will describe our current understanding of the roles of different cytokines in atherosclerosis together with therapeutic approaches aimed at manipulating their actions.
动脉粥样硬化是一种慢性动脉炎症性疾病，在西方化社会中是导致大多数死亡的原因，且在发展中国家其发病率正以显著速度上升。该疾病由多种危险因素激活内皮细胞引发，导致趋化因子介导免疫细胞的募集。巨噬细胞摄取修饰的脂蛋白以及胆固醇流出缺陷会产生与疾病早期脂肪条纹相关的泡沫细胞。随着疾病进展，由于泡沫细胞溶解、血管平滑肌细胞迁移和增殖以及持续的炎症反应，会形成复杂的纤维化斑块。此类斑块由平滑肌细胞产生的细胞外基质稳定，并因巨噬细胞产生的基质金属蛋白酶而不稳定。不稳定斑块破裂及随后的血栓形成会导致心肌梗死等临床并发症。细胞因子参与动脉粥样硬化的各个阶段，并对该疾病的发病机制产生深远影响。本综述将描述我们目前对不同细胞因子在动脉粥样硬化中的作用的理解，以及旨在调控其作用的治疗方法。
