Working out the factors involved in atherosclerosis

Do neutrophil microvesicles play a role in atherosclerosis?

Understanding how atherosclerosis develops and progresses may reveal new ways to treat the condition in the future. In atherosclerosis, the large blood vessels in our bodies ‘fur up’ with fatty plaque deposits and blood flow is restricted through the narrower vessels. White blood cells are important for atherosclerotic plaques to form, particularly a type of white blood cell called the neutrophil. This cell is important in normal inflammation and many diseases but scientists have recently found that neutrophils are also involved in atherosclerosis progression. Dr Victoria Ridger and her team at the University of Sheffield believe they ‘stick’ to areas of the circulatory system that are prone to atherosclerosis. This can make the disease worse by ‘activating’ the cells that line the coronary arteries, helping other white blood cells to get into the atherosclerotic plaque. They believe the small particles that neutrophils shed from their surface, known as microvesicles, are used by the neutrophils to move the white blood cells into the vessel wall. The BHF has now awarded a grant to the team to find out if microvesicles released from neutrophils increase inflammation in blood vessels and whether this affects how atherosclerosis progresses. They will make microvesicles from neutrophils, give them to mice that are prone to getting atherosclerosis and find out if it changes the disease progression. This research could reveal a new factor involved in atherosclerosis and may reveal a new way to treat it in the future.