Endothelial Glucocorticoid Receptor Suppresses Atherogenesis-Brief Report

Objective-The purpose of this study was to determine the role of the endothelial glucocorticoid receptor in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Approach and Results-Control mice and mice lacking the endothelial glucocorticoid receptor were bred onto an Apoe knockout background and subjected to high-fat diet feeding for 12 weeks. Assessment of body weight and total cholesterol and triglycerides before and after the diet revealed no differences between the 2 groups of mice. However, mice lacking the endothelial glucocorticoid receptor developed more severe atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta, brachiocephalic artery, and aortic sinus, as well as a heightened inflammatory milieu as evidenced by increased macrophage recruitment in the lesions. Conclusions-These data suggest that the endothelial glucocorticoid receptor is important for tonic inhibition of inflammation and limitation of atherosclerosis progression in this model.