动脉粥样硬化是一种慢性免疫炎症性疾病, 它与自身的先天性免疫和适应性免疫密切相关。Toll样受体（Toll-like receptors, TLR）作为激活非特异性免疫的重要受体蛋白, 可以识别病原微生物, 激活免疫反应。Toll样受体9是TLR家族中的重要一员, 是先天免疫系统中识别细菌和病毒CpG DNA的重要受体, 其与动脉粥样硬化(atherosclerosis, AS)的发生发展紧密相关。研究发现, TLR9与动脉粥样硬化的发生、发展(内皮受损和泡沫化细胞形成)密切相关, 但也有研究发现TLR9在AS进程中具有潜在的保护效应。本文对Toll样受体9与动脉粥硬化疾病之间关系做一个简要的阐述, 简明的总结了TLR9与树突细胞及自噬之间的联系, 并为其作为靶点治疗动脉粥样硬化提供新的思路。

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease, AS is closely related to the innate immunity and adaptive immunity. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are pathogen pattern recognition receptors that recognize bacterial and viral products, and other pathogens, and then activate immune response. Toll-like receptor 9 is an important member of the TLR family. TLR9 has been identified as the important receptor in innate immunity for CpG DNA from bacterias and virus, and is closely related to the occurrence of atherosclerosis development. Collective evidence suggests that TLR9 is closely related to the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis including endothelial damage and foam cell formation. However, other studies found that TLR9 has potential protective effect in the process of AS. This paper summarizes the latest evidence in research on the role of TLR9 in AS, and briefly demonstrates the relationship between TLR9 and dendritic cell, autophagy, and then TLR9 as a potential target for the treatment of atherosclerosis provides a new train of thought.