Interferon-γ: Promising therapeutic target in atherosclerosis

作     者：Joe WE Moss Dipak P Ramji 

作者机构：Cardiff School of BiosciencesCardiff University 

出 版 物：《World Journal of Experimental Medicine》 (世界实验医学杂志)

年 卷 期：2015年第5卷第3期

页      面：154-159页

学科分类：1002[医学-临床医学] 100204[医学-神经病学] 10[医学] 

主　　题：Atherosclerosis Interferon-γ Inflammation Neutralization MicroRNA 

摘      要：Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the vasculature and is the primary cause of cardiovascular disease(CVD). CVD is currently the world s leading cause of death and the numbers are predicted to rise further because of a global increase in risk factors such as diabetes and obesity. Current therapies such as statins have had a major impact in reducing mortality from CVD. However, there is a marked residual CVD risk in patients on statin therapy. It is therefore important to understand the molecular basis of this disease in detail and to develop alternative novel therapeutics. Interferon-γ(IFN-γ) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that is often regarded as a master regulator of atherosclerosis development. IFN-γ is able to influence several key steps during atherosclerosis development, including pro-inflammatory gene expression, the recruitment of monocytes from the blood to the activated arterial endothelium and plaque stability. This central role of IFN-γ makes it a promising therapeutic target. The purpose of this editorial is to describe the key role IFN-γ plays during atherosclerosis development, as well as discuss potential strategies to target it therapeutically.