Table 2.

Histology analyses of brachiocephalic atherosclerotic plaques

	Control + Vehicle (n = 5)	Control + STAMP2 (n = 5)	DM + Vehicle (n = 5)	DM + STAMP2 (n = 5)	P
Plaque area (%)	29.56 ± 0.42	18.24 ± 4.61***	45.68 ± 0.89***	30.98 ± 3.98†††	3 × 10−9
Lipid (%)	33.98 ± 3.26	24.32 ± 2.72**	51.82 ± 1.19***	40.72 ± 2.67**,†††	1 × 10−10
Macrophage (%)	14.84 ± 0.68	13.72 ± 1.25	28.38 ± 2.61***	17.71 ± 1.78*,†††	1 × 10−9
Collagen content (%)	16.29 ± 2.11	17.50 ± 0.89	7.98 ± 1.25***	10.32 ± 0.23***,†	5 × 10−9
I–III collagen ratio	1.39 ± 0.17	2.08 ± 0.28***	1.20 ± 0.05	1.61 ± 0.22††	2 × 10−5
SMC (%)	10.21 ± 1.69	14.39 ± 1.35***	7.12 ± 1.34**	8.24 ± 0.98*	1 × 10−6
Vulnerability index	1.87 ± 0.31	1.20 ± 0.13*	5.37 ± 0.63***	3.16 ± 0.31***,†††	1 × 10−10

^*P < 0.05

^**P < 0.01

^***P < 0.001 versus Control+ Vehicle

^††P < 0.01

^†††P < 0.001 versus DM + Vehicle.

Data are expressed as mean ± SD. SMC, smooth muscle cell. Vulnerability index = (macrophages + extracellular lipids)/(SMC + collagen fibres).