Advances in the CXCL12/MIF-CXCR4 bioaxis for therapeutic atherosclerosis appli-cations
Atherosclerosis(As)is one of the major causes of high mortality and morbidity worldwide.Chemokines and their receptors are involved in the pathogenesis of As.CXC chemokine ligand 12(CXCL12)is a mem-ber of the chemokine family,and macrophage migration inhibition factor(MIF)is a chemokine like functional chemokine,CXCL12 and MIF together play important roles in As through CXC chemokine receptor 4(CXCR4).The CXCL12-CX-CR4 bioaxis is an important chemokine/chemokine receptor axis that can regulate various biological behaviors such as cell proliferation,mobilization,differentiation,homing,and chemotaxis.Numerous studies have found that it widely affects various cells related to As and is closely related to the formation and development of As plaques.Therefore,the CXCL12/MIF-CXCR4 bioaxis is expected to become a more precise target for As treatment,and regulating the CXCL12/MIF-CXCR4 bioaxis strategy provides new ideas for the prevention and treatment of As.