New Alternatives for Atherosclerosis Treatment Based on Immunomodulation

Atherosclerosis and its derived cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death in the western world. The treatment of atherosclerosis is currently based on lipid lowering in combination with anti-inflammatory therapies that slow the progression of atherosclerosis. Still, these therapies are not able to fully inhibit the formation or progression of atherosclerotic lesions. Ever since it was first demonstrated that the immunological system plays an important role during atherogenesis, various different immunotherapeutic approaches have been evaluated with promising results. Notwithstanding that, one of the difficulties in developing effective vaccination strategies for atherosclerosis is the selection of a specific target. So far, vaccination strategies have been based on the targeting of lipid antigens, inflammation-derived antigens, and cell-based vaccination strategies. More recently, strategies aimed at blocking the retention of low-density lipoproteins by arterial proteoglycans have emerged as a promising tool. In the study at hand we reviewed the most relevant advances on atherosclerosis immunotherapy cited in the PubMed database from 1980 to 2012.