["This study's aim was to assess the role of interleukin (IL)-5 in modulating the levels of antibodies binding to oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL) in human atherosclerosis.", 'Various pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines have been implicated in atherogenesis, and recent findings in mice indicate that the cytokine IL-5 plays a protective role in atherosclerosis in part via the induction of antibodies binding to OxLDL.', 'Plasma IL-5 levels and antibody titers to 2 most commonly used models of OxLDL (copper OxLDL and malondialdehyde-modified LDL) were measured in 1,011 Finnish middle-aged subjects with chemiluminescent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Intima-media thickness (IMT) was assessed ultrasonographically from the internal carotid artery, the bifurcation, and the common carotid artery.', 'There was a significant positive association between plasma IL-5 levels and antibody titers to copper OxLDL (p = 0.010 and p = 0.044, immunoglobin [Ig] M and G, respectively) and IgM to malondialdehyde-modified LDL (p < 0.001) in the association analysis performed between different IL-5 quartiles. Furthermore, plasma IL-5 levels were found to be inversely associated with bifurcational IMT, and even after adjustments for traditional risk factors of atherosclerosis (age, gender, smoking, systolic blood pressure, LDL, and body mass index), IL-5 remained an independent determinant of the mean bifurcational IMT (p = 0.010).'] Are plasma interleukin-5 levels related to antibodies binding to oxidized low-density lipoprotein and to decreased subclinical atherosclerosis?