<?xml version="1.0"?>
<Articles JournalTitle="Iranian Journal of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology">
  <Article>
    <Journal>
      <PublisherName>Tehran University of Medical Sciences</PublisherName>
      <JournalTitle>Iranian Journal of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology</JournalTitle>
      <Issn>1735-1502</Issn>
      <Volume>0</Volume>
      <Issue>0</Issue>
      <PubDate PubStatus="epublish">
        <Year>2026</Year>
        <Month>05</Month>
        <Day>31</Day>
      </PubDate>
    </Journal>
    <title locale="en_US">Immunological Mechanisms of the Gut&#x2013;brain&#x2013;cardiovascular Axis in Coronary Heart Disease with Comorbid Anxiety and Depression</title>
    <FirstPage>1</FirstPage>
    <LastPage>12</LastPage>
    <AuthorList>
      <Author>
        <FirstName>Yiwei</FirstName>
        <LastName>Xu</LastName>
        <affiliation locale="en_US">The First Clinical Medical College of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China AND Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China</affiliation>
      </Author>
      <Author>
        <FirstName>Xiaohu</FirstName>
        <LastName>Chen</LastName>
        <affiliation locale="en_US">Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China</affiliation>
      </Author>
    </AuthorList>
    <History>
      <PubDate PubStatus="received">
        <Year>2026</Year>
        <Month>01</Month>
        <Day>28</Day>
      </PubDate>
      <PubDate PubStatus="accepted">
        <Year>2026</Year>
        <Month>02</Month>
        <Day>16</Day>
      </PubDate>
    </History>
    <abstract locale="en_US">Coronary heart disease (CHD) is frequently accompanied by anxiety and depression, conditions that markedly worsen cardiovascular outcomes. Increasing evidence indicates that immune dysregulation, driven by gut microbiota alterations, plays a central role in linking psychological disorders with cardiovascular pathology through the gut&#x2013;brain&#x2013;cardiovascular axis. This narrative review systematically summarizes recent advances in the immunological mechanisms underlying CHD complicated by anxiety and depression. We focus on gut microbiota&#x2013;immune interactions, inflammatory signaling pathways, immune-related microbial metabolites, and neuroimmune communication that collectively shape cardiovascular and mental health. Relevant studies addressing immune biomarkers, cytokine profiles, intestinal barrier dysfunction, and immune-modulating therapeutic strategies were critically analyzed. Gut microbiota dysbiosis contributes to intestinal barrier impairment and translocation of microbial products, leading to activation of innate and adaptive immune responses. Elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor &#x3B1;, serve as key mediators linking systemic inflammation with atherosclerosis and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Microbial metabolites, such as trimethylamine N-oxide, exacerbate immune-driven vascular inflammation, whereas short-chain fatty acids exert immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory effects. Neuroimmune mechanisms, including hypothalamic&#x2013;pituitary&#x2013;adrenal (HPA) axis activation and immune modulation of autonomic function, further integrate psychological stress with cardiovascular immune injury. Immune dysregulation represents a unifying mechanism connecting gut microbiota imbalance, neuropsychiatric disorders, and coronary heart disease. Targeting immune&#x2013;microbiota interactions within the gut&#x2013;brain&#x2013;cardiovascular axis may offer novel diagnostic biomarkers and immunomodulatory therapeutic strategies for CHD patients with comorbid anxiety and depression. This immunological perspective provides a translational framework for future research and integrated clinical management.</abstract>
    <web_url>https://ijaai.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijaai/article/view/4742</web_url>
    <pdf_url>https://ijaai.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijaai/article/download/4742/2352</pdf_url>
  </Article>
</Articles>
