Inflammation, Immunity, and Cardiovascular Diseases
Abstract
ABSTRACT Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) continue to be the number one cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, but therapeutic interventions aimed at targeting individual inflammatory mediators exhibit inconsistent and context‐dependent benefits, highlighting limitations associated with pathway‐focused intervention strategies. Emerging data suggest that inflammation and immunity in CVDs function not as isolated processes but rather as a dynamic regulatory system of interconnected networks that link inflammatory signaling to the state of immune cells, programmed cell death, and metabolic reprogramming. Proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines engage self‐amplifying immune circuits promoting atherosclerotic plaque instability and myocardial remodeling, whereas counter‐regulatory immune programs are indispensable for resolution, tissue repair, and re‐establishment of homeostasis. Regulated cell death modes, such as apoptosis, necroptosis, and ferroptosis, along with immunometabolic reprogramming importantly shape disease trajectories by intertwining cellular stress responses with immune activity/inflammatory resolution. From a network perspective, CVD is governed by context‐ and time‐dependent immune network states instead of a linear series of signaling events. In this review, we integrate molecular–cellular and clinical evidence to delineate the organizing principles of the inflammation–immunity network and establish a conceptual framework for the organization of this network in CVDs that accounts for diverse therapeutic responses and guides biomarker‐driven, precision immunomodulatory interventions.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Diseases
Cardiac Fibrosis and Remodeling
Immune responses and vaccinations
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Med Research
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 343–370
- Publication date
- 9 April 2026
- Language
- EN