Abstrakt
Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory lipid-storage disease of the large arteries. In addition to the key role of cholesterol homeostasis, both innate and adaptive immunity contribute to the evolution of the disease and its complications.
Lipid antigens are recognized by Invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) cells. iNKT cells are called unconventional T cells as they express markers of both T and NK cell lineages and exert rapidly effector functions. iNKT cells produce both pro-inflammatory and regulatory cytokines, harbor cytolytic potential and actively interact with other cells of the immune system. Due to their vast functional potential, iNKT cells are involved in the pathogenesis of various pathologic conditions including cancer, infection and autoimmune diseases.
In conclusion, we suggest that iNKT cells play a pathogenic role in human atherosclerosis due to the promotion of inflammation. This is reflected and might even be mediated by fine tuning of NK receptors