Thymus in Cardiometabolic Impairments and Atherosclerosis: Not a Silent Player?

The thymus represents a primary organ of the immune system, harboring the generation and maturation of T lymphocytes. Starting from childhood, the thymus undergoes involution, being replaced with adipose tissue, and by an advanced age nearly all the thymus parenchyma is represented by adipocytes. Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biomedicines 2024-06, Vol.12 (7), p.1408
Main Authors: Kologrivova, Irina V, Naryzhnaya, Natalia V, Suslova, Tatiana E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adipocytes
Adipogenesis
Adipose tissue
Age
Antigens
Arteriosclerosis
atherogenesis
Atherosclerosis
atherosclerotic plaque
Biological activity
Body fat
Children
Growth factors
Hypotheses
Immune system
inflammaging
Inflammation
Lipids
Lymphocytes
Lymphocytes T
Maturation
Metabolism
Parenchyma
Pathogenesis
Physiology
Senescence
T cell receptors
T lymphocytes
Thymus
thymus adipose tissue
thymus atrophy
Thymus gland
Transcription factors
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Summary:The thymus represents a primary organ of the immune system, harboring the generation and maturation of T lymphocytes. Starting from childhood, the thymus undergoes involution, being replaced with adipose tissue, and by an advanced age nearly all the thymus parenchyma is represented by adipocytes. This decline of thymic function is associated with compromised maturation and selection of T lymphocytes, which may directly impact the development of inflammation and induce various autoinflammatory disorders, including atherosclerosis. For a long time, thymus health in adults has been ignored. The process of adipogenesis in thymus and impact of thymic fat on cardiometabolism remains a mysterious process, with many issues being still unresolved. Meanwhile, thymus functional activity has a potential to be regulated, since islets of thymopoeisis remain in adults even at an advanced age. The present review describes the intricate process of thymic adipose involution, focusing on the issues of the thymus' role in the development of atherosclerosis and metabolic health, tightly interconnected with the state of vessels. We also review the recent information on the key molecular pathways and biologically active substances that may be targeted to manipulate both thymic function and atherosclerosis.
ISSN:2227-9059
2227-9059
DOI:10.3390/biomedicines12071408