Atherosclerosis: an inflammatory disease

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the arterial wall where both innate and adaptative Th 1-driven immunoinflammatory responses contribute to disease development. Th2-related immunological responses have been shown to be either protective or pathogenic. A novel subset of T cells, called regulatory T cells, has been shown recently to prevent atherosclerosis initiation and to reduce plaque progression. Preliminary animals studies demonstrated that in vivo expansion of regulatory T cells was associated with reduced lesion development and/or progression, suggesting a novel therapeutic tool to combat atherosclerosis, through promotion of regulatory immunity.