| First Author | Schieffer B | Year | 2004 |
| Journal | Circulation | Volume | 110 |
| Issue | 22 | Pages | 3493-500 |
| PubMed ID | 15557373 | Mgi Jnum | J:103918 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3610865 | Doi | 10.1161/01.CIR.0000148135.08582.97 |
| Citation | Schieffer B, et al. (2004) Impact of interleukin-6 on plaque development and morphology in experimental atherosclerosis. Circulation 110(22):3493-500 |
| abstractText | BACKGROUND: Vascular lipid accumulation and inflammation are hallmarks of atherosclerosis and perpetuate atherosclerotic plaque development. Mediators of inflammation, ie, interleukin (IL)-6, are elevated in patients with acute coronary syndromes and may contribute to the exacerbation of atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: To assess the role of IL-6 in atherosclerosis, ApoE-/--IL-6-/- double-knockout mice were generated, fed a normal chow diet, and housed for 53+/-4 weeks. Mortality and blood pressure were unaltered. However, serum cholesterol levels and subsequent atherosclerotic lesion formation (oil red O stain) were significantly increased in ApoE-/--IL-6-/- mice compared with ApoE-/-, wild-type (WT), and IL-6-/- mice. Plaques of ApoE-/--IL-6-/- mice showed significantly reduced transcript and protein levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1, collagen I and V, and lysyl oxidase (by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry). Recruitment of macrophages and leukocytes (Mac3- and CD45-positive staining) into the atherosclerotic lesion was significantly reduced in ApoE-/--IL-6-/- mice. The transcript and serum protein (ELISA) levels of IL-10 were significantly reduced. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, a lifetime IL-6 deficiency enhances atherosclerotic plaque formation in ApoEK-/--IL-6-/- mice and leads to maladaptive vascular developmental processes. These observations are consistent with the notion that baseline levels of IL-6 are required to modulate lipid homeostasis, vascular remodeling, and plaque inflammation in atherosclerosis. |
