Anti-Inflammatory Therapies in Cardiovascular Disease
Summary
Inflammation is now recognised as a pivotal driver of atherosclerosis, plaque instability and myocardial injury. Beyond lipid-lowering therapies, agents that target innate immune pathways have emerged as promising additions to standard care. Key strategies inhibit cytokines such as interleukin-1β and interleukin-6 or interfere with inflammasome assembly, thereby reducing downstream markers of inflammation, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Colchicine, a well-established microtubule-disrupting agent, has been repurposed at low doses to dampen vascular inflammation and limit leukocyte recruitment into plaques. Monoclonal antibodies directed against cytokines offer a tailored approach, albeit with higher costs and logistical demands. The cumulative effect of these therapies is a reduction in recurrent ischaemic events, stabilisation of chronic coronary syndromes and potential improvement in surgical outcomes. Together, these developments underscore a shift towards comprehensive risk management that integrates lipid control with modulation of inflammatory drivers to address residual cardiovascular risk on a global scale.
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Anti-Inflammatory Therapies in Cardiovascular Disease publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in anti-inflammatory therapies in cardiovascular disease across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
NLRP3 inflammasome: A multiprotein complex in macrophages that activates interleukin-1β and interleukin-18 in response to danger signals.
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP): A blood biomarker of systemic inflammation predictive of cardiovascular risk.
Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE): A composite endpoint including cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction and stroke.
Microtubule polymerisation inhibition: The mechanism by which colchicine disrupts cytoskeleton dynamics in leukocytes, reducing their recruitment to sites of inflammation.
References
- Effects of colchicine on major adverse cardiac events in next 6-month period after acute coronary syndrome occurrence; a randomized placebo-control trial. BMC Cardiovascular Disorders (2021).
- Colchicine reduces extracellular vesicle NLRP3 inflammasome protein levels in chronic coronary disease: A LoDoCo2 biomarker substudy. Atherosclerosis (2021).
- Colchicine Impacts Leukocyte Trafficking in Atherosclerosis and Reduces Vascular Inflammation. Frontiers in Immunology (2022).
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