Atherosclerosis: cellular mechanisms
Atherosclerosis is a lipid-driven, chronic inflammatory disease of the large and middle-sized arteries that affects every human being and slowly progresses with age. The disease is characterized by the presence of atherosclerotic plaques consisting of lipids, (immune) cells, and debris that form in the arterial intima. Plaques develop at predisposed regions characterized by disturbed blood flow dynamics, such as curvatures and branch points. In the past decades, experimental and patient studies have revealed the role of the different cell-types of the innate and adaptive immune system, and of non-immune cells such as platelets, endothelial, and vascular smooth muscle cells, in its pathogenesis. This chapter highlights the roles of these individual cell types in atherogenesis and explains their modes of communication using chemokines, cytokines, and co-stimulatory molecules.