Review
The role of cytokines in early foam cells
Pengzhuo Xiao✉
The Second Clinical Medical College, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, Hubei 434023, China.
✉, Correspondence
Pengzhuo Xiao, the Second Clinical Medical College, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, Hubei 434023, China. Email: [email protected]. Telephone number: 86-18171961851.
Received: July 5, 2019. Accepted: September 3, 2020. Published online: November 20, 2020.
Cite this paper: Pengzhuo Xiao (2020) The role of cytokines in early foam cells. Global Journal of Immunology, 1(1):27-31. https://naturescholars.com/gji.010105. https://doi.org/10.46633/gji.010105.
Copyright © 2020 by Scholars Publishing, LLC.
Abstract
Atherosclerosis is mainly caused by endothelial cell injury, and the formation of lesions is the result of inflammatory – fibrous hyperplastic reaction to endothelial and endometrial injury. In the process of atherosclerosis, macrophage foam cell formation (FCF) is known to play a key role in the development of atherosclerotic plaques. Due to the long-term risk factors, such as dyslipidemia, LDL-c intrude into the wall lining through the damaged endothelial cells. Then LDL-c can be oxidized and modified into low density lipoprotein cholesterol (oxLDL-c), which causes further damage to the artery intima. Monocytes and lymphocytes change their surface characteristics, and enhance surface adhesion factor expression, leading to adhesion on endothelial cell populations and moving among the endothelial cells. Then they differentiate into macrophages, which can devour ox-LDL with the help of scavenger receptors. At last, macrophages transform into the foam cells, which become the earliest atherosclerotic lesions — fatty streaks. Macrophages can oxidize LDL-c and form oxides and superoxide ions. Macrophages filled with oxidized lipoprotein can synthesize and secrete growth factors and pro-inflammatory mediators, promote plaque growth, as well as inflammation, eventually atherosclerosis forms. However, how foam cells further promote atherosclerotic plaques, and which cytokines are involved in the formation of atherosclerotic plaques are still unclear. This paper reviews the recent literature on the role of cytokines in early foam cells.
Key words: Atherosclerosis; Foam Cell; Cytokine.