From Lipid Retention to Immune-Mediate Inflammation and Associated Angiogenesis in the Pathogenesis of Atherosclerosis

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Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of mortality and long-term morbidity worldwide. It is a lipoprotein-driven disease that leads to plaque formation at focal areas in the arterial blood vessels through intimal inflammation, necrosis, fibrosis, and calcification. Adventitial and intimal angiogenesis contributes to the progression of intimal hyperplasia and the development of a necrotic core. The volatile nature of an atheromatous plaque is responsible for approximately 60% of symptomatic carotid artery diseases and about 75% of acute coronary events. In this review the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is discussed from the initial step of lipid retention to advanced stages of immune-mediate inflammation and associated angiogenesis. Mechanisms of plaque rupture are also discussed.