However, significant differences between the 2 groups began to appear at the intermediate stage and became considerable at the advanced stages of atherosclerosis. Thus, it appears that ligation of CXCR2 on macrophages in atherosclerotic lesions is requisite for their retention in the lesions but not for initial entry into the intima. We therefore examined the role of CD11b in atherosclerosis. After bone marrow transplantation, all the mice were fed a high-fat diet for 16 weeks. T-lymphocyte cytolytic activity is a proinflammatory component of atherosclerosis.
T lymphocytes is a new therapeutic target for control of inflammatory cardiovascular disease.
Finally, we examined the effects of total-body irradiation on atherogenesis. These experiments were done to determine if the irradiation component of bone marrow transplantation influenced the progression of atherosclerotic lesions. Compared with control mice, irradiated mice had a significant decrease in body weight but similar plasma levels of cholesterol. At sacrifice, the percentage of the total thoracic aorta area that contained lesions was decreased in the irradiated mice, yet the area of lesions in the heart valve was 2-fold greater than the area in control mice. Matrix components derived from smooth muscle cells may account for these differences.