The participation of chemokines in atherosclerosis.
Extract: Atherosclerosis is a disease of the blood vessels that is characterized by narrowing of the lumen due to plaque buildup within the vessel wall that occurs over decades of life. The atherosclerotic plaque was once thought to be composed mainly of fat and cholesterol, but it is now widely recognized that inflammatory cells of the immune system, especially a phagocytic cell (a cell which will engulf particulate matter as a prelude to its digestion) called the macrophage, plays a pivotal role in its pathogenesis.
Boisvert
William A
WA
Vascular Medicine Research, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 65 Landsdowne Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.