Atherosclerosis Research Paper

Words: 390
Pages: 2

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease, which has increased in the baby boomer generation. Atherosclerotic plaques are found downstream of artery branches and in regions where arteries curve. The hallmark of endothelial cells is connexin 43 expression, which is overexpressed in regions of damaged endothelium. In these regions, non-laminar, the shearing force that damages the endothelial walls, promotes plaques. Trans fatty acids, known to be pro-inflammatory, bind to the toll-like receptors. These plaques, created by constant inflammation, allow other initiators of influx responses like the toll-like receptor to further local responses. On the other hand, cis fatty acids are known to be anti-inflammatory and bind to free fatty acid …show more content…
Since many Americans consistently eat foods high in trans fatty acids which cause a proinflammatory response, atherosclerotic plaques begin to form. Trans fatty acids bind to toll-like receptors in the body. There are eleven known toll-like receptors in humans, which mediate inflammatory response. TLR’s are important for cell activation of ¬¬¬the immune system ¬¬and inflammatory response. We are interested in TLR4 due to its presence on endothelial cells because it can be bound by trans fatty acids. TLR4 recognizes pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) which activate an inflammatory response of the damaged endothelium.
Endothelial cells, lining the inside of the blood vessels, respond to free fatty acids providing an important nutrient source for the body. Cis fatty acids are known to provide anti-inflammatory properties when bound to FFAR. Activating FFAR4 could play an important role in decreasing Cx43 expression. By being able to decrease expression of Cx43 in the body it could limit the amount of inflammation and vascular damage that can