Regulatory T cell responses: potential role in the control of atherosclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the arterial wall where both innate and adaptive Th1-driven immunoinflammatory responses contribute to disease development. Th2-related responses have been shown to be either protective or pathogenic. Thus, it is unclear whether immunoregulatory activity can modulate disease development.


RESULTS
Novel subtypes of T cells, called the regulatory T cells, have been shown recently to play a critical role in the maintenance of immunological tolerance against self and non-self antigens and prevent the development of various immunoinflammatory diseases. Preliminary studies suggest a potential role for this type of regulatory T cell response in atherosclerosis.


CONCLUSIONS
Here we present a novel view of the immunoinflammatory response in atherosclerosis where natural and/or adaptive regulatory T cell responses modulate both Th1 and Th2 pathogenic responses and play a central role in counteracting disease initiation and progression.
Mallat
Ziad
Z
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Inserm U689, Cardiovascular Research Center Lariboisière, and University Paris 7, Paris, France. mallat@larib.inserm.fr
Ait-Oufella
Hafid
H
Tedgui
Alain
A
D000818:Animals; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism