Endotoxin, Toll-like Receptor-4, and Atherosclerotic Heart Disease

Title:Endotoxin, Toll-like Receptor-4, and Atherosclerotic Heart Disease

Volume: 13 Issue: 2

Author(s): John D. Bowman, Salim Surani and Michael A. Horseman

Affiliation:

Keywords: Endotoxin, lipopolysaccharide, atherosclerosis, toll-like receptor 4, coronary heart disease, heart failure.

Abstract: Background: Endotoxin is a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) constituent of the outer membrane of most gram negative bacteria. Ubiquitous in the environment, it has been implicated as a cause or contributing factor in several disparate disorders from sepsis to heatstroke and Type II diabetes mellitus. Starting at birth, the innate immune system develops cellular defense mechanisms against environmental microbes that are in part modulated through a series of receptors known as toll-like receptors. Endotoxin, often referred to as LPS, binds to toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/ myeloid differentiation protein 2 (MD2) complexes on various tissues including cells of the innate immune system, smooth muscle and endothelial cells of blood vessels including coronary arteries, and adipose tissue. Entry of LPS into the systemic circulation ultimately leads to intracellular transcription of several inflammatory mediators. The subsequent inflammation has been implicated in the development and progression atherosclerosis and subsequent coronary artery disease and heart failure.

Objective: The potential roles of endotoxin and TLR4 are reviewed regarding their role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic heart disease.

Conclusion: Atherosclerosis is initiated by inflammation in arterial endothelial and subendothelial cells, and inflammatory processes are implicated in its progression to clinical heart disease. Endotoxin and TLR4 play a central role in the inflammatory process, and represent potential targets for therapeutic intervention. Therapy with HMG-CoA inhibitors may reduce the expression of TLR4 on monocytes. Other therapeutic interventions targeting TLR4 expression or function may prove beneficial in atherosclerotic disease prevention and treatment.

Cite this article as:

Bowman D. John, Surani Salim and Horseman A. Michael, Endotoxin, Toll-like Receptor-4, and Atherosclerotic Heart Disease, Current Cardiology Reviews 2017; 13 (2) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1573403X12666160901145313

DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1573403X12666160901145313	Print ISSN 1573-403X
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher	Online ISSN 1875-6557