Stress Makes Plaques Explode — But Only If They're Already Weak
Th17 cells and IL-17 are involved in the disruption of vulnerable plaques triggered by short-term combination stimulation in apolipoprotein E-knockout mice
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some plaques in mice are like weak walls. When you scare them with stress (germs, adrenaline, cold), the weak ones burst — not because of fat, but because of a specific immune signal called IL-17 that kills the wall's support cells.
Surprising Findings
Th17 cells increased dramatically (0.91% → 5.37%), but Th1 cells didn’t change—despite both being linked to inflammation.
Scientists expected Th1 to be the main driver of plaque rupture. The fact that only Th17 spiked suggests a previously overlooked pathway.
Practical Takeaways
Manage chronic stress through mindfulness, sleep, or exercise—this may reduce Th17 activation and lower rupture risk.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some plaques in mice are like weak walls. When you scare them with stress (germs, adrenaline, cold), the weak ones burst — not because of fat, but because of a specific immune signal called IL-17 that kills the wall's support cells.
Surprising Findings
Th17 cells increased dramatically (0.91% → 5.37%), but Th1 cells didn’t change—despite both being linked to inflammation.
Scientists expected Th1 to be the main driver of plaque rupture. The fact that only Th17 spiked suggests a previously overlooked pathway.
Practical Takeaways
Manage chronic stress through mindfulness, sleep, or exercise—this may reduce Th17 activation and lower rupture risk.
Publication
Journal
Cellular and Molecular Immunology
Year
2013
Authors
Tian Ma, Qi Gao, Fa-liang Zhu, Chun Guo, Qun Wang, Fei Gao, Lining Zhang
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Claims (10)
When mice with fatty arteries were stressed, the number of a specific type of immune cell called Th17 went up dramatically — but another type, Th1, stayed the same, suggesting Th17 might be special in causing artery damage.
When the plaques burst in the mice, a chemical called IL-17 showed up in high amounts in their blood and right where the plaque broke — like a warning signal at the scene of the damage.
The mice lost a little weight from the stress, but not more than they did from just eating a fatty diet — so the plaque bursts weren’t caused by extreme sickness or starvation.
In mice with fatty artery buildup, a quick burst of stress (like cold, a toxin, and a blood pressure drug) caused 3 out of 4 fragile plaques to burst, but only if the plaque was already weak — strong plaques didn’t break.
When scientists added IL-17 to artery muscle cells in a dish, the cells started dying off in large numbers — especially at higher doses — which could explain how plaques get weak and burst.