Detection of Chlamydophila pneumoniae in dendritic cells in atherosclerotic lesions

Thematic review series: The Immune System and Atherogenesis. The unusual suspects:an overview ofthe minor leukocyte populations in atherosclerosis

“…On the other hand, the nonenzymatic glycation of proteins that occur in the setting of diabetes appears to promote dendritic cell maturation but prevents their expression of costimulatory molecules and their ability to activate T-cells (87). Finally, dendritic cells may play an important role in the inflammation induced by infectious agents in the vessel wall, another potential contributor to atherogenesis (65,88).…”

Dendritic cells and their role in atherogenesis

“…108,109 Viruses and microbes can be identified in some atherosclerotic lesions, 110,111 with components of Chlamydia pneumoniae being detectable in the cytoplasm of DCs. 112 DCs receive signals through various pattern-recognition receptors, including Toll-like receptors (TLRs), cell-surface C-type lectin receptors and intracytoplasmic NOD-like receptors. [7][8][9] DCs sense the lipid environment by nuclear hormone receptors, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), liver X receptors (LXRs) and others.…”

Decreased Expression of Liver X Receptor-α in Macrophages Infected with <i>Chlamydia pneumoniae</i> in Human Atherosclerotic Arteries in situ

“…Archival tissue specimens, some characteristics of which were reported previously [15,16,44] , were used in the present study and represented carotid artery tissues obtained by endarterectomy from 39 patients whose ages ranged from 52 to 75 years (24 males and 15 females) [15] . The study was carried out in accordance with the principles outlined in the Helsinki Declaration and informed consent was obtained from each patient [15] .…”

“…The study was carried out in accordance with the principles outlined in the Helsinki Declaration and informed consent was obtained from each patient [15] . Each tissue specimen was divided into three parts.…”

“…Interaction of C. pneumoniae -infected cells with endothelial cells may cause endothelial dysfunction, accompanied by a cascade of pro-inflammatory effects [8,13,14] . In the arteries, C. pneumoniae has been found to affect various cell types, including resident macrophages, smooth muscle cells and dendritic cells [8,[14][15][16][17][18][19] . Epidemiological, clinical and experimental studies support a possibility that C. pneumoniae infection might aggravate the progression of atherosclerotic lesions [1,3,[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] .…”