New atherosclerosis vaccine gives promising results

[NEWS, 5 May 2010] A new study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet shows that the immune defence's T cells can attack the bad LDL cholesterol and thereby cause an inflammation that leads to atherosclerosis. By producing a vaccine against the'T cell receptors, the researchers have managed to inhibit the development of atherosclerosis in animals. The study is presented online in the distinguished periodical The Journal of Experimental Medicine and is expected to be of considerable significance to the future treatment of atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke. Cholesterol is transported in the blood in LDL particles, which are a kind of fat drops that can accumulate in the walls of blood vessels. LDL activates the immune defence and triggers an inflammation in the blood vessels that leads to atherosclerosis (also known as arteriosclerosis). When the atherosclerotic plaque finally ruptures, a blood clot is formed that in turn can cause a heart attack or stroke. It was previously thought that the inflammation in the blood vessels arises when the'T cells react to oxidised LDL particles located in the atherosclerotic plaque.