Whether dendritic cell (DC) derived exosomes play a role in the progression of endothelial inflammation and atherosclerosis remains unclear. Using a transwell system and exosome release inhibitor GW4869, we demonstrated that mature DCs contributed to endothelial inflammation and exosomes were involved in the process. To further confirm this finding, we isolated exosomes from bone marrow dendritic cell (BMDC) culture medium (named DC‐exos) and stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) with these DC‐exos. We observed that mature DC‐exos increased HUVEC inflammation through NF‐κB pathway in a manner similar to that of lipopolysaccharide. After a protein array analysis of exosomes, we identified and confirmed tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α on exosome membrane being the trigger of NF‐κB pathway in HUVECs. We then performed an in vivo study and found that the aorta endothelial of mice could uptake intravenously injected exosomes and was activated by these exosomes. After a period of 12 weeks of mature DC‐exos injection into ApoE−/− mice, the atherosclerotic lesions significantly increased. Our study demonstrates that mature DCs derived exosomes increase endothelial inflammation and atherosclerosis via membrane TNF‐α mediated NF‐κB pathway. This finding extends our knowledge on how DCs affect inflammation and provides a potential method to prevent endothelial inflammation and atherosclerosis.

The Friedewald formula (FF) is useful for calculating serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) values, but has a remarkable deviation and limitation especially in hypertriglyceridemia. We modify the formula which is now more suitable for LDL-C calculation. 2180 cases were classified into three groups according to their TG concentrations (A: < 200 mg/dl, n = 1220; B: 200-400 mg/dl, n = 480; C: 400-1000 mg/dl, n = 480). The concentrations of LDL-C were measured or estimated by 1) a direct measurement (DM); 2) the FF; and 3) our modified Friedewald formula (MFF): LDL-C (mg/dl) = Non-HDL-C × 90% - TG × 10%. Linear regression showed a significant correlation (P < 0.001) between the measured and calculated LDL-C values. Bland-Altman plots indicated that the methods (DM/MFF) were in better agreement than those (DM/FF). The LDL-C/Non-HDL-C ratio in FF calculated values was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than that in MFF or DM values, while no significant difference between MFF and DM was found. In Group A and Group B, 4.26% and 14.79% of the MFF calculated values had more than 20% deviation from those measured by DM. These percentages were significantly lower than those calculated by FF, where 7.30% and 25.63% were observed, respectively (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001). The MFF calculated values were all positive even in Group C. Compared with the FF calculation, serum LDL-C values estimated by our modified formula are closer to those measured by a direct assay. The modification significantly diminishes the interference caused by hypertriglyceridemia.

Immune system plays a crucial role in the physiological and pathological regulation of the cardiovascular system. The exploration history and milestones of immune system in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have evolved from the initial discovery of chronic inflammation in atherosclerosis to large-scale clinical studies confirming the importance of anti-inflammatory therapy in treating CVDs. This progress has been facilitated by advancements in various technological approaches, including multi-omics analysis (single-cell sequencing, spatial transcriptome et al.) and significant improvements in immunotherapy techniques such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy. Both innate and adaptive immunity holds a pivotal role in CVDs, involving Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway, nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing proteins 1 and 2 (NOD1/2) signaling pathway, inflammasome signaling pathway, RNA and DNA sensing signaling pathway, as well as antibody-mediated and complement-dependent systems. Meanwhile, immune responses are simultaneously regulated by multi-level regulations in CVDs, including epigenetics (DNA, RNA, protein) and other key signaling pathways in CVDs, interactions among immune cells, and interactions between immune and cardiac or vascular cells. Remarkably, based on the progress in basic research on immune responses in the cardiovascular system, significant advancements have also been made in pre-clinical and clinical studies of immunotherapy. This review provides an overview of the role of immune system in the cardiovascular system, providing in-depth insights into the physiological and pathological regulation of immune responses in various CVDs, highlighting the impact of multi-level regulation of immune responses in CVDs. Finally, we also discuss pre-clinical and clinical strategies targeting the immune system and translational implications in CVDs.

Rationale: Excessive myocardial fibrosis is the main pathological process in the development of cardiac remodeling and heart failure; therefore, it is important to prevent excessive myocardial fibrosis. We determined that microRNA-378 (miR-378) is cardiac-enriched and highly repressed during cardiac remodeling. We therefore proposed that miR-378 has a critical role in regulation of cardiac fibrosis, and examined the effects of miR-378 on cardiac fibrosis after mechanical stress.