Are Suppressors of Cytokine Signaling Proteins Recently Identified in Atherosclerosis Possible Therapeutic Targets?

Atherosclerosis is a slowly progressing chronic inflammatory disease characterized by focal arterial lesions that can ultimately occlude the entire blood vessel and lead to sudden death. Lesions associated with cardiovascular events are those enriched in macrophages and other inflammatory cells. Activation of inflammatory cells within lesions induces the release of cytokines which promotes more inflammation and associated tissue damage if cytokine signaling pathways remain unregulated. Thus, pathways capable of suppressing proinflammatory cytokine signaling hold the potential to limit life-threatening cardiovascular events caused by atherogenesis. This review focuses on suppressors of cytokine signaling proteins recently identified in the atherosclerosis-prone ApoE−/− mouse and provides perspectives of their potential for intervention in atherosclerotic lesion progression.