Angiology Division, Heart and Vessel Department, Lausanne University Hospital, University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Department of Medicine, University Hospital of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jan 6;24(2):1169. doi: 10.3390/ijms24021169.
In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the role of neutrophils in cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) with evidence supporting their role in the initiation, progression, and rupture of atherosclerotic plaque. Although these cells have long been considered as terminally differentiated cells with a relatively limited spectrum of action, recent research has revealed intriguing novel cellular functions, including neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) generation and inflammasome activation, which have been linked to several human diseases, including CVD. While most research to date has focused on the role of neutrophils in coronary artery and cerebrovascular diseases, much less information is available on lower limb peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD is a widespread condition associated with great morbidity and mortality, though physician and patient awareness of the disease remains low. To date, several studies have produced some evidence on the role of certain biomarkers of neutrophil activation in this clinical setting. However, the etiopathogenetic role of neutrophils, and in particular of some of the newly discovered mechanisms, has yet to be fully elucidated. In the future, complementary assessment of neutrophil activity should improve CV risk stratification and provide personalized treatments to patients with PAD. This review aims to summarize the basic principles and recent advances in the understanding of neutrophil biology, current knowledge about the role of neutrophils in atherosclerosis, as well as available evidence on their role of PAD.
近年来，人们越来越关注中性粒细胞在心血管疾病（CVD）中的作用，有证据表明它们在动脉粥样硬化斑块的起始、进展和破裂中起作用。尽管这些细胞长期以来被认为是终末分化细胞，作用范围相对有限，但最近的研究揭示了令人感兴趣的新的细胞功能，包括中性粒细胞胞外诱捕网（NET）的产生和炎性小体的激活，这些功能与包括 CVD 在内的几种人类疾病有关。虽然迄今为止大多数研究都集中在中性粒细胞在冠状动脉和脑血管疾病中的作用，但关于下肢外周动脉疾病（PAD）的信息却很少。PAD 是一种广泛存在的疾病，与高发病率和死亡率相关，尽管医生和患者对该疾病的认识仍然很低。迄今为止，一些研究已经在这个临床环境中对某些中性粒细胞激活标志物的作用提供了一些证据。然而，中性粒细胞的发病机制作用，特别是一些新发现的机制，尚未得到充分阐明。在未来，对中性粒细胞活性的补充评估应能改善心血管风险分层，并为 PAD 患者提供个性化治疗。本综述旨在总结中性粒细胞生物学的基本原理和最新进展、中性粒细胞在动脉粥样硬化中的作用以及它们在 PAD 中的作用的现有证据。
