How inflammation signals heart trouble

Liver-secreted inflammatory proteins and thickened arteries are two harbingers of heart disease. Luchtefeld et al. (page 1935) now find a cause-and-effect link between these risk factors. Their study shows that the pathway to inflammation amplifies plaque build-up in the arteries.

Plaques are a consequence of high dietary cholesterol, which gloms onto arterial walls. Macrophages ingest the fat, die, and further harden the area into plaque. This condition, known as atherosclerosis, is associated with high levels of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6. Liver cells activated by these cytokines release “acute phase” proteins (APPs), which are markers of heart disease.

When released during an immune response, however, APPs have an immediate benefit. They trigger the complement cascade and recruit macrophages to the inflamed areas. These events help...