| First Author | Steffens S | Year | 2006 |
| Journal | Circulation | Volume | 114 |
| Issue | 18 | Pages | 1977-84 |
| PubMed ID | 17043169 | Mgi Jnum | J:127202 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3763322 | Doi | 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.106.627430 |
| Citation | Steffens S, et al. (2006) Short-term treatment with anti-CD3 antibody reduces the development and progression of atherosclerosis in mice. Circulation 114(18):1977-84 |
| abstractText | BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the large arteries that is the primary cause of heart disease and stroke. Anti-CD3-specific antibodies suppress immune responses by antigenic modulation of the CD3 antibody/T-cell receptor complex. Their unique capacity to restore self-tolerance in a mouse model of diabetes and, importantly, in patients with recent-onset type 1 diabetes involves transforming growth factor-beta-dependent mechanisms via expansion and/or activation of regulatory T cells. We hypothesized that treatment with anti-CD3-specific antibodies might inhibit atherosclerosis development and progression in mice. METHODS AND RESULTS: Low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient mice were fed a high-cholesterol diet for 13 or 24 weeks. Anti-CD3 antibody was administered on 5 consecutive days beginning 1 week before or 13 weeks after the high-cholesterol diet was initiated, respectively. Control mice were injected in parallel with phosphate-buffered saline. Anti-CD3 antibody therapy reduced plaque development when administered before a high-cholesterol diet and markedly decreased lesion progression in mice with already established atherosclerosis. We found increased production of the antiinflammatory cytokine transforming growth factor-beta in concanavalin A-stimulated lymph node cells and enhanced expression of the regulatory T-cell marker Foxp3 in spleens of anti-CD3 antibody-treated mice. A higher percentage of apoptotic cells within the plaques of anti-CD3 antibody-treated mice was also observed. CONCLUSIONS: Altered disease progression, combined with the emergence of this particular cytokine pattern, indicates that short-term treatment with an anti-CD3 antibody induces a regulatory T-cell phenotype that restores self-tolerance in a mouse model of atherosclerosis. |
