1 research outputs found
Defects in Regulation of Local Immune Responses Resulting in Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is nowadays generally accepted as an inflammatory disease
but the mechanism of its origin and development have not yet been fully clarified.
The present review focuses on the role of the local immune system as one of the
key players in the pathogenesis of the complex process. Its part represented by
vascular-associated lymphoid tissue (VALT) within the arterial wall participates
directly in the vascular wall's homeostatis. Its inordinate activation during
ontogenic development of an individual, this formerly defensive and physiologic
mechanism transform into a pathological process resulting in an impairing
inflammation. Hsp60, CRP and oxidized or otherwise modified LDL are serious
candidates for triggering these pathological changes. The principal role is played
by anti-Hsp60 antibodies and by shear stress originating on the surface of
endothelium due to blood flow. The experimental and clinical data
supporting this immunological hypothesis of atherosclerosis are discussed