{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,27]],"date-time":"2026-09-27T17:31:34Z","timestamp":1790530294655,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2017,11,1]],"date-time":"2017-11-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1509494400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/pages\/standard-publication-reuse-rights"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2017,11,15]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:p>Atherosclerosis, the progressive buildup of plaque within arterial blood vessels, can lead to fatal downstream events, such as heart attack or stroke. A key event contributing to the development of atherosclerosis is the infiltration of monocytes and its associated inflammation, as well as the formation of lipid-laden macrophage foam cells within the vessel wall. IL-37 is recognized as an important anti-inflammatory cytokine expressed especially by immune cells. This study was undertaken to elucidate the role of macrophage-expressed IL-37 in reducing the production and effects of proinflammatory cytokines, preventing foam cell formation, and reducing the development of atherosclerosis. Expression of human IL-37 was achieved with a macrophage-specific overexpression system, using the CD68 promoter in mouse primary bone marrow\u2013derived macrophages via retroviral transduction. Macrophage IL-37 expression in vitro resulted in decreased mRNA (e.g., IL-1B, IL-6, and IL-12) and secreted protein production (e.g., IL-6, M-CSF, and ICAM-1) of key inflammatory mediators. IL-37 expression also inhibited macrophage proliferation, apoptosis, and transmigration, as well as reduced lipid uptake, compared with controls in vitro. The in vivo effects of macrophage-expressed IL-37 were investigated through bone marrow transplantation of transduced hematopoietic stem cells into irradiated atherosclerosis-prone Ldlr\u2212\/\u2212 mice. After 10 wk on a high-fat\/high-cholesterol diet, mice with IL-37\u2013expressing macrophages showed reduced disease pathogenesis, which was demonstrated by significantly less arterial plaque development and systemic inflammation compared with control mice. The athero-protective effect of macrophage-expressed IL-37 has implications for development of future therapies to treat atherosclerosis, as well as other chronic inflammatory diseases.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4049\/jimmunol.1601907","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,10,14]],"date-time":"2017-10-14T01:00:19Z","timestamp":1507942819000},"page":"3604-3613","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":36,"title":["Macrophage-Specific Expression of IL-37 in Hyperlipidemic Mice Attenuates Atherosclerosis"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"199","author":[{"given":"Sara","family":"McCurdy","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Cardiovascular Research, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii , Honolulu, HI 96813"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7400-0773","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yvonne","family":"Baumer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Cardiovascular Research, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii , Honolulu, HI 96813"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emma","family":"Toulmin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Cardiovascular Research, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii , Honolulu, HI 96813"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bog-Hieu","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Biotechnology and Natural Resources, Chung-Ang University , Anseong 17546,","place":["Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"William A","family":"Boisvert","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Cardiovascular Research, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii , Honolulu, HI 96813"},{"name":"Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University , Kazan 420008,","place":["Russia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,11,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025030614520739100_r1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"341","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cell.2011.04.005","article-title":"Macrophages in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis","volume":"145","author":"Moore","year":"2011","journal-title":"Cell"},{"key":"2025030614520739100_r2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"49982","DOI":"10.1074\/jbc.M209649200","article-title":"Scavenger receptors class A-I\/II and CD36 are the principal receptors responsible for the uptake of modified low density lipoprotein leading to lipid loading in macrophages","volume":"277","author":"Kunjathoor","year":"2002","journal-title":"J. Biol. 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