How dendritic cells shape atherosclerosis

EK Koltsova, K Ley - Trends in immunology, 2011 - cell.com
Trends in immunology, 2011cell.com
Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the arteries, which results in major morbidity
and mortality. Immune cells initiate and sustain local inflammation. Here, we focus on how
dendritic cell (DC)-mediated processes might be relevant to atherosclerosis. Although only
small numbers of DCs are detected in healthy arteries, these numbers dramatically increase
during atherosclerosis development. In the earliest fatty streaks, DCs are found next to the
vascular endothelium. During plaque growth, new DCs are actively recruited, and their …
Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the arteries, which results in major morbidity and mortality. Immune cells initiate and sustain local inflammation. Here, we focus on how dendritic cell (DC)-mediated processes might be relevant to atherosclerosis. Although only small numbers of DCs are detected in healthy arteries, these numbers dramatically increase during atherosclerosis development. In the earliest fatty streaks, DCs are found next to the vascular endothelium. During plaque growth, new DCs are actively recruited, and their egress from the vessel wall is dampened. In the adventitia next to mature atherosclerotic lesions, tertiary lymphoid organs develop, which also contain DCs. Thus, DCs probably participate in all stages of atherosclerosis from fatty streaks to mature lesions.
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