Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory process of the vessel wall with systemic correlates.
It is now well established that patients' outcome is tightly linked to atherosclerotic plaque
stability, potentially more so than to the mere plaque size. Osteopontin (OPN) is an integrin-
binding ligand, N-linked glycoprotein, which was recognized as a significant participant in
the atherosclerotic inflammatory milieu. Evidence from several genetic mouse models
suggests that OPN is an enhancer of atherosclerosis. This may be mediated by its capacity …