Vaccination against atherosclerosis: An overview

Atherosclerosis, an inflammatory disorder involving innate and adaptive immune responses with both atheroprotective and proatherogenic roles, is a life wasting and economic demanding disorder that continues to be the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Thus, the need for a long-lasting and highly effective treatment has made researchers to find new strategies. Many efforts made thus far to reduce the burden of the disease have been toward the modification of cardiovascular risk factors. Vaccination against atherosclerosis has been investigated as a promising strategy to overcome the disorder. Several kinds of vaccination methods have been investigated mostly in mice, with promising results in the attenuation of atherosclerosis, inflammation, and lipid concentration. The most conflicting part of this strategy is finding appropriate antigens and adjuvants. Some antigens have been used, including OxLDL, apoB100, CETP, PCSK9, HSP60, MHC-II-derived peptides, and interleukins. The DNA-based vaccination method has opened a new window in this field. There is an increasing necessity for developing an effective, economical, long-lasting, accessible, and convenient vaccination method. There are large gaps in evidence for the selection of proper human sampling to test the vaccines, route of delivery, safety, strength, scheduling, and side effects, all of which must be considered in clinical trials in the future. (C) 2019 Hellenic Society of Cardiology. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V.