title: Linking CD11b (+) Dendritic Cells and Natural Killer T Cells to Plaque Inflammation in Atherosclerosis.
abstract: Atherosclerosis remains the leading cause of death and disability in our Western society. To investigate whether the dynamics of leukocyte (sub)populations could be predictive for plaque inflammation during atherosclerosis, we analyzed innate and adaptive immune cell distributions in blood, plaques, and lymphoid tissue reservoirs in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE(-/-)) mice and in blood and plaques from patients undergoing endarterectomy. Firstly, there was predominance of the CD11b(+) conventional dendritic cell (cDC) subset in the plaque. Secondly, a strong inverse correlation was observed between CD11b(+) cDC or natural killer T (NKT) cells in blood and markers of inflammation in the plaque (including CD3, T-bet, CCR5, and CCR7). This indicates that circulating CD11b(+) cDC and NKT cells show great potential to reflect the inflammatory status in the atherosclerotic plaque. Our results suggest that distinct changes in inflammatory cell dynamics may carry biomarker potential reflecting atherosclerotic lesion progression. This not only is crucial for a better understanding of the immunopathogenesis but also bares therapeutic potential, since immune cell-based therapies are emerging as a promising novel strategy in the battle against atherosclerosis and its associated comorbidities. The cDC-NKT cell interaction in atherosclerosis serves as a good candidate for future investigations.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Physiopharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Miche
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rombouts
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Physiopharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Rachid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ammi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Physiopharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Van Brussel
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Physiopharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Medicine and Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Benedicte Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: De Winter
authors.affiliation: Hospital Network Antwerp, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Sven R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Vercauteren
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Antwerp, 2650 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jeroen M H
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hendriks
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Antwerp, 2650 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lauwers
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Antwerp, 2650 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Van Schil
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Physiopharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Guido R Y
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: De Meyer
authors.affiliation: StatUa Center for Statistics, University of Antwerp, 2650 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fransen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2650 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cools
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Physiopharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Dorien M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Schrijvers
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D039481:CD11b Antigen / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism*; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000166:cytology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D055611:Natural Killer T-Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D039481:CD11b Antigen