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Updated: May 9, 2026

Isolation and Identification of Extravascular Immune Cells of the Heart
Published on: August 23, 2018
T helper cell polarization in healthy people: implications for cardiovascular disease
Nels C Olson1, Reem Sallam, Margaret F Doyle
1Department of Pathology, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, USA, Nels.Olson@uvm.edu.
Abstract:
Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by T lymphocyte infiltration into the atherosclerotic plaque. Assessments of T cell subtypes have demonstrated a predominance of CD4(+) T helper (Th) cells, implicated Th1 and Th17 immunity in both human and mouse atherogenesis, and provided some evidence suggesting protective roles of Th2 and T regulatory cells. Observations that certain inbred mouse strains have an inherent T helper bias suggest a genetic predisposition toward developing a particular T helper phenotype. This review summarizes our current understanding of mechanisms of antigen processing for major histocompatibility complex molecules, describes the different T helper cell subsets and their roles in atherosclerosis, and discusses mechanisms of genetic predisposition toward Th1/Th2 bias in mice. We also present data from our laboratory demonstrating inherent Th1/Th2 phenotypes in apparently healthy human volunteers that are stable over time and discuss the potential implications for cardiovascular disease.
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