Experimental immunotherapeutic approaches for atherosclerosis.
Therapeutic options in atherosclerosis have largely been limited to the control of risk factors, such as hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, or diabetes. However, atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease in which dyslipidemia and inflammation are equally involved in disease pathogenesis. Moreover, abundant epidemiological and experimental evidence point to an important modulatory role of innate and adaptive immunity in atherogenesis, providing novel therapeutic targets for this disease. Indeed, there is now accumulating data in animal models demonstrating the potential for immunotherapeutic approaches to treat atherosclerosis. These include both general and antigen-specific ways of modulating immune functions, and they show great promise for the development of alternative and/or adjuvant therapies for atherosclerosis.
Amir
Shahzada
S
Center for Molecular Medicine (CeMM) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria.
Binder
Christoph J
CJ
D056704:Adaptive Immunity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D018836:Inflammation Mediators