Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial wall and the primary underlying cause of cardiovascular disease. Data from in vivo imaging, cell-lineage tracing and knockout studies in mice, as well as clinical interventional studies and advanced mRNA sequencing techniques, have drawn attention to the role of T cells as critical drivers and modifiers of the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. CD4⁺ T cells are commonly found in atherosclerotic plaques. A large body of evidence indicates that T helper 1 (T_H1) cells have pro-atherogenic roles and regulatory T (T_reg) cells have anti-atherogenic roles. However, T_reg cells can become pro-atherogenic. The roles in atherosclerosis of other T_H cell subsets such as T_H2, T_H9, T_H17, T_H22, follicular helper T cells and CD28^null T cells, as well as other T cell subsets including CD8⁺ T cells and γδ T cells, are less well understood. Moreover, some T cells seem to have both pro-atherogenic and anti-atherogenic functions. In this Review, we summarize the knowledge on T cell subsets, their functions in atherosclerosis and the process of T cell homing to atherosclerotic plaques. Much of our understanding of the roles of T cells in atherosclerosis is based on findings from experimental models. Translating these findings into human disease is challenging but much needed. T cells and their specific cytokines are attractive targets for developing new preventive and therapeutic approaches including potential T cell-related therapies for atherosclerosis.

动脉粥样硬化是动脉壁的一种慢性炎症性疾病，也是心血管疾病的主要原因。来自小鼠体内成像、细胞谱系追踪和敲除研究的数据，以及临床介入研究和先进的 mRNA 测序技术，引起了人们对 T 细胞作为动脉粥样硬化发病机制的关键驱动因素和调节因素的作用的关注。CD4 ⁺ T细胞常见于动脉粥样硬化斑块中。大量证据表明，辅助 T 1 (TH ₁ ) 细胞具有促动脉粥样硬化作用，而调节性 T (T _reg ) 细胞具有抗动脉粥样硬化作用。然而，T _reg细胞可能会导致动脉粥样硬化。_{其他 T H}细胞亚群（例如 T _H 2、TH ₉、TH ₁₇、TH ₂₂、滤泡辅助 T 细胞和 CD28 ^null T 细胞）以及其他 T 细胞亚群（包括 CD8 ⁺ T 细胞）在动脉粥样硬化中的作用和 γδ T 细胞，目前尚不清楚。此外，一些T细胞似乎同时具有促动脉粥样硬化和抗动脉粥样硬化的功能。在这篇综述中，我们总结了关于T细胞亚群、它们在动脉粥样硬化中的功能以及T细胞归巢到动脉粥样硬化斑块的过程的知识。我们对 T 细胞在动脉粥样硬化中的作用的大部分理解都是基于实验模型的发现。将这些发现转化为人类疾病虽然具有挑战性，但也是非常必要的。T 细胞及其特定细胞因子是开发新的预防和治疗方法（包括潜在的动脉粥样硬化 T 细胞相关疗法）的有吸引力的目标。