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Humoral immunity and atherosclerosis

Nature Medicine volume 9, pages 243–244 (2003)Cite this article

To the editor

The re-evaluation of atherosclerosis as a chronic inflammatory disease represents a major change in our understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease and has substantial implications in therapy and prevention. The publication of a special section on “Advances in Atherosclerosis” in the November 2002 issue of Nature Medicine was rather timely. However, the otherwise excellent review, “Innate and acquired immunity in atherogenesis,”1 was strongly biased in favor of the postulate that lymphocyte-mediated inflammation is primarily responsible for plaque development and that, in contrast, the humoral responses to modified lipoproteins may be protective. However, there is a wide body of evidence contradicting this position that needs to be evaluated in a more balanced and objective perspective.

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Figure 1: The levels of cholesterol and ApoB in isolated immune complexes (IC) are related to the development of coronary artery disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA

    Gabriel Virella

  2. Department of Medicine, Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA

    Maria F. Lopes-Virella

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  1. Gabriel Virella
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  2. Maria F. Lopes-Virella
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Correspondence to Gabriel Virella.

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Virella, G., Lopes-Virella, M. Humoral immunity and atherosclerosis. Nat Med 9, 243–244 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0303-243

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