Volume 175, Issue 4 pp. 467-481
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

CCR5-Mediated Reprogramming of Regulatory T Cells and Monocytic-Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells in Young Dyslipidemic Individuals: A Plausible Therapeutic Approach

Komal Sagar

Komal Sagar

Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, AIIMS, New Delhi, India

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Shamima Akhtar

Shamima Akhtar

Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, AIIMS, New Delhi, India

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Nikita Kumar

Nikita Kumar

Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, AIIMS, New Delhi, India

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Anil Kumar Tomar

Anil Kumar Tomar

Department of Biophysics, AIIMS, New Delhi, India

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Ambuj Roy

Ambuj Roy

Department of Cardiology, AIIMS, New Delhi, India

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Milind P. Hote

Milind P. Hote

Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, AIIMS, New Delhi, India

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Sudheer Arava

Sudheer Arava

Department of Pathology, AIIMS, New Delhi, India

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Savita Yadav

Savita Yadav

Department of Biophysics, AIIMS, New Delhi, India

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Alpana Sharma

Corresponding Author

Alpana Sharma

Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, AIIMS, New Delhi, India

Correspondence:

Alpana Sharma ([email protected])

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First published: 19 May 2025

Funding: This work was supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India (61/2/2019/BMS/IMM) to Prof. Alpana Sharma and Junior Research Fellowship from the University Grants Commission (UGC-JRF) (191620007160) to Komal Sagar for pursuing a doctoral thesis.

ABSTRACT

Chemokine receptor CCR5 is upregulated in the regulatory T cells (Tregs) and monocytic-myeloid-derived suppressor cells (M-MDSCs) of young dyslipidemic individuals. In this study, we investigated the role of CCR5 in regulating the phenotypic and functional plasticity of Tregs and M-MDSCs during the preclinical phase of atherosclerosis. Inflammatory conditions induce a phenotypic shift in Tregs and M-MDSCs, characterised by enhanced expression of CCR5 and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Tregs from dyslipidemic (DLP) and coronary artery disease (CAD) patients exhibited a mixed Th1/Th17/Treg phenotype, whilst M-MDSCs displayed elevated markers of activation and inflammation. CCR5 inhibition via DAPTA (10−8 M) restored the immune suppressive phenotype and function of Tregs and M-MDSCs in vitro. Migration of dysfunctional Tregs and M-MDSCs to CCL5 stimulus was also reduced after DAPTA treatment in vitro. In vivo, DAPTA reduced IL-12 expression and elevated IL-10 expression in Tregs and M-MDSCs. Therapeutically targeting CCR5 in Tregs and M-MDSCs of young naive dyslipidemic individuals aids in the dampening of early inflammation and can prevent the progression of atherosclerosis.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

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