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IL-38 in modulating hyperlipidemia and its related cardiovascular diseases
Min Lai1, Hua Peng2, Xijie Wu2
1Department of Cardiology, the Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
Insights
Interleukin 38 (IL-38) shows anti-inflammatory properties and is linked to hyperlipidemia-related cardiovascular diseases. Further research into IL-38 may offer new treatments for hyperlipidemia.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Immunology
- Metabolic Disorders
Background:
- Hyperlipidemia, often part of metabolic syndrome (diabetes, obesity, hypertension), presents persistent atherosclerotic risk despite lipid-lowering therapy.
- Chronic inflammation driven by immune cells characterizes hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis, necessitating novel biomarkers for monitoring and prediction.
- Interleukin 38 (IL-38), an IL-1 family member, exhibits anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting downstream signaling pathways and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK).
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of IL-38 in hyperlipidemia development.
- To explore IL-38 as a potential biomarker for hyperlipidemia-related cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
- To provide a theoretical basis for future research on IL-38 in hyperlipidemia treatment.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on IL-38's function in inflammation.
- Analysis of IL-38's cellular mechanisms, including its effect on T-lymphocyte differentiation (Th-17 and T-reg).
- Correlation assessment between IL-38 levels and hyperlipidemic CVD development.
Main Results:
- IL-38 demonstrates significant anti-inflammatory activity by suppressing inflammatory factors via MAPK signaling.
- IL-38 inhibits CD4+ T lymphocyte differentiation into Th-17 cells, promoting T-regulatory cell immunosuppression.
- IL-38 levels are strongly correlated with the development of hyperlipidemia-associated CVDs.
Conclusions:
- IL-38 plays a crucial role in modulating inflammatory responses relevant to hyperlipidemia.
- IL-38's anti-inflammatory properties and correlation with CVDs suggest its potential as a therapeutic target.
- Further investigation of IL-38 is warranted for developing novel treatment strategies for hyperlipidemia and related cardiovascular complications.
Abstract:
Hyperlipidemia is confirmed to be associated with several health problems that include the combination of diabetes mellitus, obesity, and hypertension, ie, metabolic syndrome. Although the lipid-lowering therapy is an effective treatment in hyperlipidemia and its related cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the persistence of high atherosclerotic risk is notable which could not be simply explained as a phenomenon of hyperlipidemia. Concerning on this notion, it is imperative to identify novel biomarkers which could monitor treatment and predict adverse cardiovascular events. It is demonstrated that the chronic inflammatory response caused by immune cells is a characteristic of hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. Notably, among several inflammatory related cytokines, interleukin 38 (IL-38), as a member of the IL-1 family, plays an important role in anti-inflammatory response by binding with its receptor which inhibits the downstream signaling pathways. In addition, IL-38 suppresses the expression of inflammatory factors mainly through the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). At the cellular level, IL-38 could inhibit the CD4 positive T lymphocyte into T-helper 17 (Th-17) lymphocyte which further enhances the immunosuppressive activity of the T-regulatory lymphocyte (T-reg) to inhibit the inflammatory response. Consistently, IL-38 is shown to be strongly correlated to development of hyperlipidemic related CVDs. In this review, the roles of IL-38 in the development of hyperlipidemia are fully summarized. Furthermore, a theoretical basis for further in-depth research of IL-38 for treatment of hyperlipidemia is also provided.
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