Atherosclerosis is a progressive chronic disease of large and medium arteries,
characterized by the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. Monocytes and macrophages are
key factors in lesion development, participating to the processes that mediate the
progression of the atherosclerotic plaque (lipid accumulation, secretion of pro-inflammatory
and cytotoxic factors, extracellular matrix remodeling). The recruitment of the monocytes in
the vascular wall represents a hallmark in the pathology of the atherosclerotic lesion …