CXCL16 may be a predisposing factor to atherosclerosis: An animal study

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory process initiated when lipoprotein is retained in the arterial wall. Leukocyte recruitment accelerates this process. CXC chemokine ligand 16 (CXCL16) acts as a chemokine to attract immune cells and also facilitates the phagocytosis process of modified low‑density lipoprotein. Whether CXCL16 promotes or inhibits the pathological process of AS remains to be elucidated. To clarify this, CXCL16 gene was introduced into C57BL/6J wild‑type mice to establish a stable CXCL16 overexpression mouse model. The initial changes of AS in mice were induced by high‑fat diet (HFD). To study how the interaction of HFD and CXCL16 affected fatty acid metabolism and deposition, body weight and plasma lipid profile were assessed. Soluble CXCL16, matrix metalloproteinase‑9, monocyte chemoattractant protein‑1 and intercellular adhesion molecule‑1 were detected by immunohistochemistry and ELISA to identify how CXCL16 affects AS lesion formation. The present study suggested that overexpression of CXCL16 combined with HFD lead to atherogenesis by upregulating the aforementioned inflammatory related genes at a protein level. The present study was the first, to the best of the authors' knowledge, to build a CXCL16 homozygous transgenic mice model to study how overexpressed CXCL16 is associated with AS for intervening in the occurrence and development of AS.