Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41477537›Full record

ArticleAtherosclerosis plus2025

Innate immune cell function in statin-treated patients with severe hypercholesterolemia is comparable to normocholesterolemic individuals: A cross-sectional study.

Harsh Bahrar, Kim Steward, Liesbeth van Emst, Nils Rother, Jeanine E Roeters van Lennep, Mihai G Netea, Siroon Bekkering, Niels P Riksen

Abstract read
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Article in Atherosclerosis plus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Harsh BahrarDepartment of Internal Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Kim StewardDepartment of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC Cardiovascular Institute, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Liesbeth van EmstDepartment of Internal Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Nils RotherDepartment of Nephrology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Jeanine E Roeters van LennepDepartment of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC Cardiovascular Institute, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Mihai G NeteaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Siroon BekkeringDepartment of Internal Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Niels P RiksenDepartment of Internal Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background and aims: Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Innate immune cells, including monocytes and neutrophils, play important roles in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. We previously reported that monocytes from patients with severely elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (LDL-c > 4.9 mmol/l) have a hyperresponsive phenotype, which persists even after three months statin treatment. This long-term hyperresponsive innate immune phenotype is termed trained immunity (innate immune memory), and is mediated by persistent enrichment of activating histone modifications leading to higher chromatin accessibility. In this study we investigated the monocyte and neutrophil phenotype of patients with severe hypercholesterolemia treated for 12 months with statins, compared to normocholesterolemic controls. Methods: In a multicentric cross-sectional study, treatment-naïve patients with severe hypercholesterolemia (defined as LDL-cholesterol >4.9 mmol/L) requiring statin treatment were included. Blood was drawn after 12 months of lipid lowering therapy with statins (n = 15) and compared to healthy normocholesterolemic controls (LDL-c<3.5 mmol/l; n = 18).We assessed monocyte phenotype with flow cytometry, cytokine production capacity of PBMCs, and H3K4me3 expression on the Results: Treatment lowered LDL-c from 5.8 to 2.7 mmol/L. PBMC cytokine production capacity, as well as the expression of H3K4me3 histone mark on the Conclusions: Previous studies reported hyperresponsive monocytes in treatment-naïve patients with LDL-c > 4.9 mmol/l. We now demonstrate that in an independent cohort of patients with LDL-c > 4.9 who are treated for 12 months with lipid-lowering drugs, the monocyte phenotype and function was similar to that of normocholesterolemic controls. In addition, neutrophils phenotype was similar, while the secretion of several granular proteins was lower in the patients.

Indexed as

Cytokine productionHypercholesterolemiaInflammationInnate immune cellsLipid lowering treatmentStatinsTrained immunity

Identifiers

PMID41477537
PMCPMC12750502

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.