Carotid plaque macrophage burden and inflammatory lipid-associated macrophage markers predict secondary major adverse cardiovascular events after endarterectomy - PubMed
3 hours ago
- #Atherosclerosis
- #Macrophages
- #Cardiovascular Risk
- Atherosclerosis is a chronic lipid-driven inflammatory disease and a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
- Macrophages play a key role in atherosclerotic development, but their subpopulations lack detailed characterization.
- Single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on blood and plaques from 46 carotid endarterectomy patients.
- Four major types of plaque macrophages were identified: inflammatory macrophages, lipid-associated macrophages (LAMs), tissue-resident-like LAMs, and inflammatory LAMs.
- Monocytes differentiate into inflammatory LAMs via various stages, contributing to plaque progression.
- Macrophages were the only cell population significantly associated with symptoms at surgery and increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events within 3 years.
- LAM and inflammatory LAM markers (PLIN2, TREM1) were linked to higher cardiovascular risk post-surgery.
- Findings were validated in an independent cohort (Carotid Plaque Imaging Project).
- The study provides insights into macrophage subpopulations and their clinical significance in predicting cardiovascular events.