Plasma from rheumatoid arthritis patients promotes pro-atherogenic cholesterol transport gene expression in THP-1 human macrophages.

Immunologic derangements in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients likely contribute to premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). Traditional CVD risk factors do not reliably identify at-risk RA patients, probably because disease-associated mechanisms are not taken into account. The purpose of this study was to determine whether plasma from subjects with RA exhibits atheroma-promoting properties leading to disruption of cholesterol homeostasis in human monocytes/macrophages.

Plasma from systemic lupus patients compromises cholesterol homeostasis: a potential mechanism linking autoimmunity to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) contributes to morbidity and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Immunologic derangements may disrupt cholesterol balance in vessel wall monocytes/macrophages and endothelium. We determined whether lupus plasma impacts expression of cholesterol 27-hydroxylase, an anti-atherogenic cholesterol-degrading enzyme that promotes cellular cholesterol efflux, in THP-1 human monocytes and primary human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC).