The monocyte/macrophage as a therapeutic target in atherosclerosis

It is now clear that the monocyte/macrophage has a crucial role in the development of atherosclerosis. This cell appears to be involved in all stages of atherosclerotic plaque development and is increasingly seen as a candidate for therapeutic intervention and as a potential biomarker of disease pro...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current opinion in pharmacology 2009-04, Vol.9 (2), p.109-118
Main Authors: Saha, Prakash, Modarai, Bijan, Humphries, Julia, Mattock, Katherine, Waltham, Matthew, Burnand, Kevin G, Smith, Alberto
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Anti-Inflammatory Agents - therapeutic use
Antioxidants - therapeutic use
Atherosclerosis - drug therapy
Atherosclerosis - immunology
Atherosclerosis - metabolism
Cholesterol - metabolism
Clinical Trials as Topic
Drug Delivery Systems
Extracellular Matrix - metabolism
Humans
Inflammation - metabolism
Internal Medicine
Macrophages - immunology
Macrophages - metabolism
Medical Education
Models, Biological
Monocytes - immunology
Monocytes - metabolism
Oxidative Stress - immunology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:It is now clear that the monocyte/macrophage has a crucial role in the development of atherosclerosis. This cell appears to be involved in all stages of atherosclerotic plaque development and is increasingly seen as a candidate for therapeutic intervention and as a potential biomarker of disease progression and response to therapy. The main mechanisms related to the activity of the monocyte/macrophage that have been targeted for therapy are those that facilitate recruitment, cholesterol metabolism, inflammatory activity and oxidative stress. There is also increasing evidence that there is heterogeneity within the monocyte/macrophage population, which may have important implications for plaque development and regression. A better insight into how specific phenotypes may influence plaque progression should facilitate the development of novel methods of imaging and more refined treatments.
ISSN:1471-4892
1471-4973
DOI:10.1016/j.coph.2008.12.017