Toll like receptor 4 activation elicits proatherogenic gene activation in monocytes in humans

Abstract

Inflammatory activation of both circulating blood cells as well as vessel wall cells is a hallmark of atherogenesis. Agonists of the Toll-like receptor 4 pathway, present on white blood cells as well as endothelial cells, have been associated with a pro-atherogenic state. Recently, standardized inflammatory challenge models using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) have been suggested to mimick these atherogenic changes. However, similarity between circulating pathways and ’vessel wall’ pathways need further validation. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of in vivo LPS challenge on circulating monocytes in humans.