Interleukin 1 Receptor 8 Deficiency Does not Impact Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arteries where cholesterol accumulation together with endothelial dysfunction triggers recruitment of immune cell within the vasculature and their local and systemic activation.[1] [2] Here, we investigated the role of interleukin (IL) 1 receptor 8 (Il-1r8), a member of the superfamily of IL and toll-like receptors[3] in atherosclerosis. Il-1r8 is expressed by several immune subsets, but at higher levels in natural killer (NK) cells, where it modulates cell activation and negatively regulates the response activated by IL-18.[4] [5] [6] [7] We have reported previously that Il-1r8 acts as a regulator of NK maturation and its deficiency results in increased frequency of mature NK type 2 cells in the circulation, spleen, and liver, as well as in their hyper-responsiveness, improving the resistance to hepatic tumor, metastasis, and cytomegalovirus infection.[7]