The role of cytkokines [sic] cytokines in studying the correlation between asthma and atherosclerosis in mice : the effect of asthma on the cytokine profile and atherogenesis in mice

Abstract

Asthma is a long-term condition in which the bronchial airways in the lungs shrink and swell, making breathing difficult. Asthma is thought to be a disease caused by T helper 2 (Th2) cells which mainly causes the release of specific cytokines. These cytokines, which can produce many of the pro-inflammatory responses associated with asthma, play an important role in the coordination and persistence of the inflammatory process in chronic inflammation of the airways in asthma. Atherosclerosis is known as the buildup of lipids, cholesterol, and other chemicals in and on the walls of your arteries. Plaque is the term for this accumulation of lipids. The arteries may narrow because of the plaque, obstructing the blood flow. Cytokines which, have a major influence on disease progression, have been demonstrated to activate cells implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Anti-inflammatory cytokines slow the growth of atherosclerosis, while pro-inflammatory cytokines enhance it. New studies are targeting the common cytokines found in both diseases to find a correlation between the two. This study has shown that IL-4 could be an important factor in identifying a correlation between asthma and atherosclerosis. Moreover, identifying the plaque size after staining with Oil Red O by observing the lipid size in aorta and heart samples could give a boost for the evidence found in IL-4.