Formation of atherosclerotic lesions is independent of eosinophils in male mice.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and oxidized LDL-mediated activation of the innate immune system have been recognized as early key events during the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Recent evidence identified eosinophils as a major source of enzymatic lipid oxidation and suggested a potential role of type 2 immunity in atherogenesis. However, the involvement of individual type 2 immune cell subsets involved in this process has been incompletely defined. We therefore sought to determine the role of eosinophils during LDL oxidation and the pathogenesis of this disease. METHODS: Using eosinophil-deficient dblGATA1 mice, we studied the role of eosinophils in two established mouse models of atherosclerosis. RESULTS: These experiments revealed that the presence of eosinophils did neither affect biomarkers of LDL oxidation nor atherosclerotic lesion development. CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results show that LDL oxidation and development of atherosclerosis are largely independent of eosinophils or eosinophil-mediated LDL oxidation.