UltraRapid Communication

Protective Role of Interleukin-10 in Atherosclerosis

Ziad Mallat, Sandrine Besnard, Micheline Duriez, Virginie Deleuze, Florence Emmanuel,
Michel F. Bureau, Fabienne Soubrier, Bruno Esposito, Hele`ne Duez, Catherine Fievet, Bart Staels,
Nicolas Duverger, Daniel Scherman, Alain Tedgui

AbstractThe potential role of anti-inflammatory cytokines in the modulation of the atherosclerotic process remains
unknown. Interleukin (IL)-10 has potent deactivating properties in macrophages and T cells and modulates many
cellular processes that may interfere with the development and stability of the atherosclerotic plaque. IL-10 is expressed
in human atherosclerosis and is associated with decreased signs of inflammation. In the present study, we show that
IL-10 deficient C57BL/6J mice fed an atherogenic diet and raised under specific pathogen-free conditions exhibit a
significant 3-fold increase in lipid accumulation compared with wild-type mice. Interestingly, the susceptibility of
IL-10 deficient mice to atherosclerosis was exceedingly high (30-fold increase) when the mice were housed under
conventional conditions. Atherosclerotic lesions of IL-10 deficient mice showed increased T-cell infiltration, abundant
interferon-g expression, and decreased collagen content. In vivo, transfer of murine IL-10 achieved 60% reduction in
lesion size. These results underscore the critical roles of IL-10 in both atherosclerotic lesion formation and stability.
Moreover, IL-10 appears to be crucial as a protective factor against the effect of environmental pathogens on
atherosclerosis. The full text of this article is available at http://www.circresaha.org. (Circ Res. 1999;85:e17-e24.)
Key Words: interleukin-10 n atherosclerosis n mice n macrophage n lymphocyte n collagen

A therosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the

arterial wall characterized by progressive accumulation
of lipids, cells (macrophages, T lymphocytes, and smooth
muscle cells), and extracellular matrix.1 The inflammatory
process is involved throughout the different stages of athero-
sclerosis.1 Inflammation also plays a major role in atheroscle-
rotic plaque disruption and thrombosis25 and therefore
greatly influences the occurrence of acute coronary syn-
dromes and their related mortality.6
During the inflammatory reaction, anti-inflammatory cyto-
kines are also produced and tend to modulate the inflamma-
tory process. Whereas a large body of evidence exists to
support a role for proinflammatory cytokines in atheroscle-
rosis,1 little information is available regarding the potential
role of anti-inflammatory cytokines in this setting. Interleukin
(IL)-10, secreted by lymphocytes of the Th2 subtype, and
also in large amounts by macrophages, is an anti-
inflammatory cytokine with potent deactivating properties on
both macrophages and T cells.7,8 IL-10 is expressed in early
and advanced human atherosclerotic plaques,9,10 and we have
shown recently that its expression is associated with low
levels of both inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expres-
sion and cell death.10 IL-10 inhibits many cellular processes
that could play an important role in plaque progression,
rupture, or thrombosis, including nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB)
activation,11,12 metalloproteinase production,13 tissue factor14
and cyclooxygenase-215 expression, and cell death.16,17 Taken
together, these data suggest that IL-10 may greatly influence
the local inflammatory process within the atherosclerotic
lesion. To examine the natural in vivo role of IL-10 in
atherosclerosis, IL-10 deficient (IL-102/2) C57BL/6J mice
were fed an atherogenic diet, and atherosclerotic lesion size
and composition were evaluated and compared with that in
wild-type mice (IL-101/1).
Recent seroepidemiological studies have suggested a po-
tential role for various environmental pathogens in the devel-
opment of atherosclerosis in humans.18 We hypothesized that
the individual inflammatory response to common environ-
mental pathogens or pathogen products may greatly influence
the atherosclerotic process, and that IL-10 may be crucial in
the control of this inflammatory response, which ultimately
determines the development of atherosclerosis. To examine
this issue, mice (IL-102/2 and IL-101/1) fed an atherogenic
diet were housed under specific pathogen-free (SPF) or
conventional (CONV) conditions. Furthermore, we evaluated
the protective effect of in vivo transfection of murine IL-10
cDNA in IL-102/2 mice.
Materials and Methods
Mice
Female C57BL/6J IL-102/2 mice and IL-101/1 mice were obtained
from Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, Maine) at 7 to 8 weeks of age

Received June 28, 1999; accepted September 13, 1999.

From the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (Z.M., S.B., M.D., B.E., A.T.), INSERM U141 and IFR Circulation Lariboisie`re,
Paris; Unite Mixte de Recherche (V.D., F.E., M.F.B., F.B., N.D., D.S.), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Rhone Poulenc Rorer,
Vitry-sur-Seine; and INSERM U325 (H.D., C.F., B.S.), Departement dAtherosclerose, Institut Pasteur, Lille, France.
Correspondence to Alain Tedgui, INSERM U141, 41, Bd de la Chapelle, 75475 Paris Cedex 10, France. E-mail alain.tedgui@inserm.lrb.ap-hop-paris.fr
1999 American Heart Association, Inc.
Circulation Research is available at http://www.circresaha.org

1
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2 Circulation Research October 15, 1999

Figure 1. Representative photomicrographs showing atherosclerotic lesions (arrowheads) in the aortic sinus of IL-101/1 (A and C) and
IL-102/2 (B and D) mice fed an atherogenic diet for 16 weeks and raised under SPF (A and B) or CONV (C and D) conditions. The sec-
tions were stained with Sudan IV, counterstained with hematoxylin, and examined using light microscopy. IL-10 deficiency was respon-
sible for an increase in atherosclerotic lesion formation in both SPF and CONV conditions. Exposure to environmental pathogens led to
a marked increase in the size of the lesions in only IL-102/2 mice.

and placed on an atherogenic diet for 16 weeks. The atherogenic diet
was obtained by the addition of 15% cacao butter, 1.25% cholesterol,
and 0.5% sodium cholate to the standard chow diet, which contained
3% fat (UAR). Mice were kept in accordance with standard animal
care requirements, housed 4 to 5 per cage, and maintained on a
12-hour light-dark cycle. Water and food were given ad libitum. The
mice analyzed were housed under either SPF or CONV conditions.
Morphometric Analysis
After 8 or 16 weeks on the atherogenic diet, mice were killed by
ether overdose, and the basal half of the ventricles and the ascending
aorta were removed, embedded in OCT compound (Tissue-Tek),
frozen in isopentane, and stored at 270C until processing for
analysis of lipid accumulation in the aortic sinus. Serial 10-mm
sections of the aortic sinus with valves (60 to 80 per mouse) were cut
on a cryostat. Of every three sections, one was kept for immunohis-
tological analysis and collagen detection. The others were stained
with Sudan IV to detect lipid deposition. The sampling method for
calculation of the mean lesion area per section per animal has been
previously described in detail.19
Collagen fibers were stained with Sirius red. Morphometric
analysis was performed with an automated image processor (NS
15000, Microvision) as previously described.20 The lesion collagen
content was determined by measuring the relative area/density in 12
contiguous fields in each Sirius redstained section.
Protein and Lipoprotein Analysis
Cholesterol was measured with a commercially available kit (Boeh-
ringer-Mannheim). Cholesterol in plasma lipoproteins was assayed
after analytical gel filtration chromatography, with a Superose 6 HR

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 Mallat et al
Figure 2. Extent of macrophage and T-cell infiltration of athero-
sclerotic lesions of IL-101/1 and IL-102/2 mice fed an athero-
genic diet for 16 weeks under CONV conditions. Immunohisto-
chemical staining for macrophages and T cells was performed
using specific antibodies (see Materials and Methods). Macro-
phage staining, expressed as a percentage of lesion cross-
sectional area, was not different between the 2 groups. How-
ever, there was a highly significant 2.5-fold increase in the
number of infiltrating T cells/mm2 of lesion area (***P,0.001).
10/30 column (Pharmacia). Plasma levels of apoA-I and apoA-II
were determined by immunonephelometric assay.
Immunohistochemical Studies
Frozen sections were incubated with 1:50 normal goat or horse
serum for 30 minutes at room temperature, washed once in PBS, then
incubated with either a primary rat monoclonal antibody against
mouse macrophages, clone MOMA-2 (BioSource International), a
primary rabbit anti-CD3 antibody (DAKO), a primary rat monoclo-
nal antibody against mouse interferon gamma (IFN-g) (BioSource
International), or a primary goat polyclonal antibody against mouse
IL-10 (Pharmingen). Immunostains were visualized after incubation
with the corresponding preadsorbed secondary biotinylated antibod-
ies (Vector Laboratories) and the use of avidin-biotin horseradish
peroxidase (brown staining) visualization systems (Vectastain ABC
kit) (Vector Laboratories). Irrelevant IgGs were used for negative
controls. At least four sections per animal were analyzed for each
immunostaining. Morphometric analysis was performed as described
above.
Systemic Delivery of Murine IL-10 by
Intramuscular Injection of Expression
Plasmid DNA
To assess the effects of IL-10 supplementation on lesion develop-
ment, eight IL-102/2 mice were injected at day 0 and day 30 with the
TABLE 1. Weights, Plasma Cholesterol, and ApoA-I and ApoA-II Levels in
IL-101/1 and IL-102/2 Mice Raised Under SPF and CONV Conditions
IL-101/1
SPF (n59)
Weight 22.160.9
Total cholesterol 429.9615.8
HDL cholesterol 58.964.4
ApoA-I 63.562.6
ApoA-II 18.261.7
Female IL-101/1 and IL-102/2 mice were fed a high-fat diet for 16 weeks. Weight values are g;
other values are mg/dL (mean6SEM).
*Different from SPF, P,0.001.
Different from 1/1, P,0.001.
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Protective Role of IL-10 in Atherosclerosis 3
IL-10 expression plasmid, pCor-IL-10 and six with the control empty
plasmid. Murine IL-10 cDNA was cloned into pCor backbone21
under the control of the cytomegalovirus promoter (nucleotides
2522/172) and upstream of the simian virus 40 late polyA signal to
generate pXL3458. Control plasmid was a similar construct devoid
of therapeutic cDNA. The IL-10 or control expression plasmid (15
mg) was injected into both tibial cranial muscles of the anesthetized
mouse as previously described.22 Briefly, transcutaneous electric
pulses (8 square-wave electric pulses of 200 V/cm, 20 ms each, at 2
Hz) were delivered by a PS-15 electropulsator (Jouan) using two
stainless steel plate electrodes placed 4.2 to 5.3 mm apart, at each
side of the leg. Mice were placed on the atherogenic diet for 8 weeks
and were housed under CONV conditions. In a pilot study in
C57BL/6 mice, we determined the time course of IL-10 plasma
levels after intramuscular administration of the IL-10 plasmid, using
an immunoassay kit for the quantitative detection of murine IL-10
(Cytoscreen, BioSource International). Given that circulating levels
of IL-10 were found detectable up to day 21, in vivo transfections in
IL-102/2 mice were repeated at day 30 to ensure long-term IL-10
production.
Statistical Analysis
The effects of genotype and environmental conditions on lesion area
and lipoprotein and apolipoprotein data were determined by 2-way
ANOVA. Multiple comparisons were performed using Bonferronis
method. Simple regression analysis was performed to analyze the
relation between lesion area and HDL cholesterol in IL-102/2 mice.
Morphometric data were compared using a t test. Data are expressed
as mean6SEM. A value of P,0.05 was considered to be statistically
significant.
Results
After 16 weeks on the atherogenic diet, animal weights were
not different between the various groups (Table 1). After this
period, total plasma cholesterol did not differ between IL-
102/2 and IL-101/1 mice whether they were housed under SPF
or CONV conditions (Table 1). However, IL-101/1 mice
raised under SPF conditions showed higher total cholesterol
levels than those raised under CONV conditions (P,0.01;
Table 1). HDL cholesterol levels were significantly lower in
IL-102/2 than in IL-101/1 mice, regardless of the environmen-
tal condition (P,0.0001), but were not significantly different
in IL-102/2 mice housed under SPF or CONV conditions
(Table 1).
Atheromatous Lesions in IL-102/2 Mice
After 16 weeks on the atherogenic diet, IL-102/2 SPF mice
showed a significant 3-fold increase in atherosclerotic lesion
IL-102/2
CONV (n58) SPF (n58) CONV (n57)
18.260.5 22.860.6 18.361.3
267.969.5* 418.2691.4 299.5658.1
56.164.4 27.262.3 22.761.9
78.366.2 36.762.6 35.462.7
22.061.9 11.761.1 8.261.1
4 Circulation Research October 15, 1999

Figure 3. Representative photomicrographs showing immunohistochemical staining for IFN-g in atherosclerotic lesions of IL-101/1 (A) and
IL-102/2 (B and D) mice fed an atherogenic diet for 16 weeks. No IFN-g expression was found in the lesions of wild-type mice (A). However,
substantial levels of IFN-g expression were detected in early (B) (brown staining) and advanced lesions (D) of IL-102/2 mice housed under
SPF (B) or CONV (D) conditions. Panels C and E represent control staining (using irrelevant IgGs) of lesions shown in panels B and D,
respectively. Original magnification 3360 (A), 3400 (B through E).

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 Mallat et al Protective Role of IL-10 in Atherosclerosis 5

TABLE 2. Aortic Lesion Area in IL-101/1 and IL-102/2 Mice

Raised Under SPF and CONV Conditions
SPF CONV
1/1
IL-10 24 50464852 10 72063373
IL-102/2 72 163610 172* 325 003637 627
Female IL-101/1 and IL-102/2 mice were fed a high-fat diet for 16 weeks.
Values are mm2/section (mean6SEM).
*Different from 1/1, P,0.001.
Different from 1/1, P,0.0001.
Different from SPF, P,0.05.
Different from SPF, P,0.0001.

area in the aortic sinus compared with IL-101/1 SPF mice

(P,0.001; Table 2, Figures 1A and 1B). This finding
underscores the natural protective role of IL-10 against
diet-induced atherosclerosis.
Interestingly, the susceptibility of IL-102/2 mice to athero-
sclerosis was exceedingly high in the mice raised under
CONV conditions (30-fold increase in lesion size compared
with IL-10 (P,0.0001; Table 2, Figures 1C and 1D). Lesion
development in IL-101/1 mice did not increase in the mice
housed under CONV conditions and was even lower than that
observed under SPF conditions, which was likely due to
lower levels of plasma cholesterol (Tables 1 and 2). However,
lesion area was 4.5-fold higher in IL-102/2 CONV than in
IL-102/2 SPF mice (P,0.0001; Table 2, Figures 1B and 1D).
Two-way ANOVA confirmed that IL-10 and environmental
conditions (SPF or CONV) significantly affected the size of
the arterial lesions (P,0.0001 for IL-10 and P,0.0001 for
environment), with a significant interaction between the two
factors (P,0.0001). Although HDL cholesterol levels were
lower in IL-102/2 than in IL-101/1 mice (Table 1), there was
no correlation between HDL levels and the size of the lesions
in IL-102/2 mice. Moreover, IL-102/2 mice housed under
CONV conditions had much larger lesions than those raised
under SPF conditions with comparable HDL levels.

Plaque Composition in IL-102/2 Mice

Arterial lesions of IL-102/2 mice evolved into advanced
atheromatous lesions and frequently contained a central
acellular lipid core. Immunohistochemical analysis showed
that the surface area occupied by macrophages (MOMA-2
staining) in the aortic sinus was proportional to the size of
the atherosclerotic lesion and was significantly higher in
IL-102/2 than in IL-101/1 mice (190 364614 466 versus
60386707 mm2, respectively, P,0.0001). However, the per-
centage of lesion cross-sectional area occupied by macro-
phages was not different between the two groups (58.664.5%
versus 56.366.6% of lesion cross-sectional area in IL-102/2
and IL-101/1 mice, respectively; Figure 2). Interestingly, the
number of CD3-positive lymphocytes per lesion cross-
sectional area was 2.5-fold higher in IL-102/2 than in IL-101/1
mice (313.2650.8 versus 126.3641.2 T cells/mm2, respec-
tively, P,0.01; Figure 2). High levels of IFN-g expression
were found in lesions of IL-102/2 mice (17.263.2% of lesion
area), whereas IFN-g expression was barely detectable in
IL-101/1 mice (0.1960.06% of lesion area, P50.0004; Figure
3). However, these mice expressed detectable levels of IL-10
(9.762.6% of lesion area) compared with IL-102/2 mice in
Figure 4. Representative photomicrographs showing immuno-
histochemical staining for IL-10 in atherosclerotic lesions of
IL-101/1 (A) and IL-102/2 (C) mice fed an atherogenic diet for 16
weeks. IL-10 expression was detectable in some lesions from
wild-type mice (A) (brown staining). IL-102/2 mice showed no
IL-10 expression (C). Panel B represents control staining (using
irrelevant IgGs) of the lesion shown in panel A. m, l, and L
denote media, intima, and lumen, respectively. Original magnifi-
cation 3600 (A and B), 3500 (C).
which IL-10 was undetectable (P50.0045; Figure 4). En-
hanced expression of iNOS was also detected in lesions from
IL-102/2 mice (data not shown). These findings indicate that
atheromatous lesions of IL-102/2 mice are characterized by an
increased infiltration of activated T cells with a Th1 cytokine
profile accompanied by an exaggerated proinflammatory
response.
IL-10 and IFN-g may regulate differently various enzymes
and proteins implicated in extracellular matrix remodel-
ing,13,15,23,24 which may have an important impact on plaque

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6 Circulation Research October 15, 1999
Figure 5. A and B, Representative photomicrographs showing
Sirius red staining (to detect collagen fibers) in atherosclerotic
lesions of IL-101/1 (A) and IL-102/2 (B) mice fed an atherogenic
diet for 16 weeks. Collagen content (red staining) in the lesions
was very low in IL-102/2 mice (B) (faint red staining within the
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collagen content and stability. Therefore, we determined the
collagen content in atheromatous lesions of IL-101/1 and
IL-102/2 mice. Because small early lesions of IL-101/1 mice
consist of pure macrophage accumulation, only relatively
large lesions were examined for the presence of collagen by
staining with Sirius red. Despite the very large size of
atheromatous lesions in IL-102/2 mice, there was a very low
collagen accumulation in the lesions (Figure 5). In contrast,
substantial collagen accumulation could be detected in rela-
tively large lesions from IL-101/1 mice (Figure 5). This was
confirmed by a quantitative analysis of collagen content
showing a marked decrease in collagen content in IL-102/2
mice lesions (4.3761.06% versus 19.7965.02% in IL-102/2
mice, n58, and IL-101/1 mice, n54, respectively, P,0.002;
Figure 5). Absence of IL-10 appears to favor the development
of large atheromatous plaques characterized by an exagger-
ated proinflammatory response and a reduced collagen con-
tent, which may greatly increase the plaque susceptibility to
rupture.
In Vivo Injection of Murine IL-10 Expression
Plasmid DNA in IL-102/2 Mice
IL-10 encoding (or control) plasmid was transferred to
muscle cells using a highly efficient electrotransfer procedure
recently developed.22 In a pilot study in C57BL/6 mice
(n54), we found that peripheral circulating levels of IL-10
peaked at day 4 (11016247 pg/mL) and remained detectable
up to day 21 (68624 pg/mL), and were 4586116 pg/mL and
102630 pg/mL at day 7 and day 14, respectively. Therefore,
to ensure long-term IL-10 production, the IL-10 or control
expression plasmid (15 mg) was electrotransferred into both
tibial cranial muscles of mice at day 0 and day 30 on the
atherogenic diet. This led to high plasma values of circulating
IL-10 (1146.946131.38 pg/mL) 4 days after the first electro-
transfer, similar to those found in the pilot study in C57BL/6
mice. After 8 weeks on the atherogenic diet, substantial fatty
lesions were observed in the aortic sinus of IL-102/2 mice
injected with the control expression plasmid (pCor) and
housed under CONV conditions (47 963610 899 mm2. In
vivo intramuscular injection with the pCor-IL-10 expression
plasmid resulted in a marked reduction in fatty lesion devel-
opment (18 06961565 mm2, P,0.01).
Discussion
Signs of chronic inflammation are present throughout the
different stages of atherosclerosis, and various pathophysio-
logical mechanisms have been identified that may influence
the development and progression of the lesions.1 However,
although a large body of evidence is accumulating on the
destructive role of proinflammatory cytokines in atheroscle-
rosis,1 little is known regarding the role of the anti-
inflammatory component of the reaction. This information
lesion near the lumen) compared with that in IL-101/1 mice (A)
(red staining at the base of the lesion). m, i, and L denote
media, intima, and lumen, respectively. Arrowheads in panel A
delimit the internal elastic lamina. Original magnification 3400.
The decrease in collagen content in IL-102/2 lesions was con-
firmed by quantitative analysis of collagen density (C) in lesions
from 4 IL-101/1 and 8 IL-102/2 mice (**P,0.002).
 Mallat et al
may be helpful because it may improve our understanding of
the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and may open the way
for the identification of novel therapeutic strategies to combat
this common and fatal disease.
Among the anti-inflammatory cytokines, we considered
IL-10 as a cytokine with potentially potent antiatherosclerotic
effects. IL-10 is produced by various inflammatory cells,
especially macrophages, and could therefore be produced
locally within the atherosclerotic lesion. Because IL-10 has
deactivating effects on macrophages and T cells,7,8 it could
play a significant role in the modulation of the local inflam-
matory reaction. Also, previous studies have shown that
IL-10 modulates several cellular pathways that may play an
important role in the development and progression of athero-
sclerosis, including NF-kB activation,11,12 tissue factor14 and
cyclooxygenase-215 expression, metalloproteinase produc-
tion,13 and cell death.16,17 Moreover, IL-10 is produced within
advanced human atherosclerotic plaques,9,10 and we have
shown recently that its expression in the plaque is associated
with lower expression of iNOS and decreased cell death.10
Taken together, these data prompted us to examine the in vivo
role of IL-10 in atherosclerosis by using IL-10 deficient
mice generated on the genetic background of the inbred strain
C57BL/6, a strain susceptible to the development of athero-
sclerosis when maintained on an atherogenic diet.25 Our
present study demonstrates a protective role of IL-10 against
atherosclerosis because the absence of this anti-inflammatory
cytokine in mice raised under SPF conditions led to a marked
increase in the susceptibility to diet-induced atherosclerosis.
In conditions of real life, however, animals and humans are
exposed to a variety of environmental factors, including
common pathogens and pathogen-derived products. Such
conditions may affect the individual inflammatory responses.
Previous studies have shown that the intestinal inflammation
that characterizes IL-102/2 mice is exaggerated in the mice
housed under CONV conditions, although no active intestinal
infection can be detected.26 Interestingly, recent studies in
humans have suggested a link between prior exposure to
pathogens and subsequent development of atherosclerosis.18
We therefore investigated atherosclerosis development in
IL-102/2 mice fed an atherogenic diet and raised under
CONV conditions. Diet-induced atherosclerosis was mark-
edly increased (4.5-fold increase) in these mice compared
with that observed in IL-102/2 mice raised under SPF condi-
tions. This marked increase in atherosclerosis occurred in the
absence of active infection with known infective pathogens
(data not shown) and could not be accounted for by changes
in lipoprotein profiles, because total cholesterol and HDL
cholesterol levels were not different in IL-102/2 mice raised
under SPF or CONV conditions. HDL cholesterol levels were
lower in IL-102/2 than in IL-101/1 mice, which points out to
the potential role of the balance between proinflammatory
and anti-inflammatory cytokines in HDL metabolism. This
may have contributed in part to the higher susceptibility to
atherosclerosis in IL-102/2 mice raised under SPF conditions.
Previous studies have reported an association between in-
flammation and decreased HDL cholesterol levels,27,28 but the
mechanisms are not well understood, and further studies are
required to elucidate this issue.
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Protective Role of IL-10 in Atherosclerosis 7
Interestingly, fatty lesion development did not increase in
IL-101/1 mice housed under CONV conditions. It was even
higher under SPF conditions. This unexpected result is probably
due to the higher cholesterol levels achieved, for unknown
reasons, under SPF conditions. Our results indicate that the
interaction between various environmental factors and the arte-
rial wall becomes critical in the atherosclerotic process only
when IL-10 is absent. We therefore propose that individual
variations in the quality and extent of the inflammatory response
to environmental factors (particularly variations related to IL-10
production) may greatly influence the atherosclerotic response
of the arterial wall to an atherogenic diet. This hypothesis may
be relevant to the situation in humans in whom individual
variations in IL-10 production have been documented and may
in part be under genetic control.29
Clinical studies in humans have shown that the clinical
prognosis of a patient with atherosclerosis depends only in part
on the size of the lesions.3,4,30,31 It is now widely accepted that
the quality (plaque composition), rather than the size, of the
lesion could be a better indicator of the development of ischemic
events. Indeed, severe clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis
(infarctions of the heart and the brain) are mainly due to vessel
lumen occlusion by a thrombus formed on contact with a
disrupted atherosclerotic plaque.3,4 Pathological studies have
shown that vulnerable or unstable plaques (ie, plaques prone to
rupture or having ruptured) greatly differ in cell and matrix
composition compared with stable plaques, not prone to rup-
ture.23,32 The vulnerable plaques are rich in inflammatory cells
(as is the case of the IL-102/2 mice lesions shown in the present
study), contain a thrombogenic lipid core, and are characterized
by a thin fibrous cap with a substantial loss in extracellular
matrix.23,32 Apoptotic cell death contributes to the formation of
the acellular lipid core33 and has been shown to be an important
determinant of plaque thrombogenicity.34 Decreased collagen
synthesis (mediated in part by IFN-g) and increased activity of
macrophage-derived matrix degrading metalloproteinases are
responsible for fibrous cap thinning and fragility.23 Rupture of
the fragile fibrous cap exposes the highly thrombogenic lipid
core to the circulating blood and results in occlusive thrombus
formation.1,23 Therefore, collagen content of a given atheroscle-
rotic lesion is considered to be a good indicator of its stability. In
the present study, we examined the matrix and cell composition
of the arterial lesions in IL-102/2 and IL-101/1 mice. Lesions of
IL-102/2 mice showed increased infiltration of inflammatory
cells, increased production of IFN-g, and interestingly, a very
low percentage of collagen in comparison with lesions of
IL-101/1 mice. These findings indicate that the absence of IL-10
favors the development of atheromatous lesions with major
signs of increased vulnerability.
Finally, we assessed the effects of in vivo transfer of
murine IL-10 cDNA on fatty lesion development in IL-102/2
mice. Two in vivo intramuscular electrotransfers of pCor-
IL-10 plasmid DNA at a 4-week interval markedly increased
peripheral circulating levels of IL-10 and were sufficient to
induce a substantial 60% reduction in fatty lesions in the mice
housed under CONV conditions and fed an atherogenic diet
for 8 weeks. These findings strongly support the hypothesis
of a protective role of IL-10 in atherosclerosis. It is likely that
increasing the peripheral circulating levels of IL-10 permitted
8 Circulation Research October 15, 1999
an interaction between IL-10 and the endothelium, which
may have decreased its state of activation. Moreover, the high
circulating levels of IL-10 may have permitted IL-10 to enter
the arterial wall, which may have compensated for the lack of
local production of IL-10.
In conclusion, our results demonstrate that the lack of the
anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 has a profound impact on both
the development and the composition of the atherosclerotic
lesion and point to a major role for this cytokine in the
interaction between common environmental factors and athero-
sclerosis. Our findings were obtained in a mouse model of
atherosclerosis in which C57BL/6 mice were fed cacao butter,
cholesterol, and cholate. Wild-type mice fed this diet typically
develop fatty streaks but do not develop fibrous plaques. In
contrast, apoE null mice and LDL receptor null mice develop not
only fatty streaks but also fibrous plaques that are more typical
of human atherosclerosis. Although our IL-10 null mice do not
develop fibrous plaques, our data still suggest that IL-10 may
play a role in atherogenesis in humans. Because exogenous
IL-10 reduced the atherosclerosis in our model, therapeutic
strategies increasing IL-10 production may reduce the extent or
severity of atherosclerosis.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by Fondation de France and by Assistance
Publique-Hopitaux de Paris. The authors acknowledge the technical
contribution of Benedicte Manse and Claire Saulnier.
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 Protective Role of Interleukin-10 in Atherosclerosis
Ziad Mallat, Sandrine Besnard, Micheline Duriez, Virginie Deleuze, Florence Emmanuel,
Michel F. Bureau, Fabienne Soubrier, Bruno Esposito, Hlne Duez, Catherine Fievet, Bart
Staels, Nicolas Duverger, Daniel Scherman and Alain Tedgui

Circ Res. 1999;85:e17-e24

doi: 10.1161/01.RES.85.8.e17
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