Submit a comment
Abstract
Atherosclerosis is characterized by vascular inflammation and associated with systemic and local immune responses to oxidized LDL (oxLDL) and other antigens. Since immunization with oxLDL reduces atherosclerosis, we hypothesized that the disease might be associated with development of protective immunity. Here we show that spleen-associated immune activity protects against atherosclerosis. Splenectomy dramatically aggravated atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic apoE knockout (apoE°) mice. Transfer of spleen cells from atherosclerotic apoE° mice significantly reduced disease development in young apoE° mice. To identify the protective subset, donor spleen cells were divided into B and T cells by immunomagnetic separation before transfer. Protection was conferred by B cells, which reduced disease in splenectomized apoE° mice to one-fourth of that in splenectomized apoE° controls. Protection could also be demonstrated in intact, nonsplenectomized mice and was associated with an increase in antibody titers to oxLDL. Fewer CD4+ T cells were found in lesions of protected mice, suggesting a role for T-B cell cooperation. These results demonstrate that B cell–associated protective immunity develops during atherosclerosis and reduces disease progression.
Authors
Giuseppina Caligiuri, Antonino Nicoletti, Bruno Poirier, Göran K. Hansson
Guidelines
The Editorial Board will only consider comments that are deemed relevant and of interest to readers. The Journal will not post data that have not been subjected to peer review; or a comment that is essentially a reiteration of another comment.
- Comments appear on the Journal’s website and are linked from the original article’s web page.
- Authors are notified by email if their comments are posted.
- The Journal reserves the right to edit comments for length and clarity.
- No appeals will be considered.
- Comments are not indexed in PubMed.
Specific requirements
- Maximum length, 400 words
- Entered as plain text or HTML
- Author’s name and email address, to be posted with the comment
- Declaration of all potential conflicts of interest (even if these are not ultimately posted); see the Journal’s conflict-of-interest policy
- Comments may not include figures
Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)