Fig. 1.

The actions of nutraceuticals on different stages in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The different steps in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis (modification of LDL, recruitment of immune cells such as monocytes, their differentiation into macrophages and subsequent transformation to foam cells, apoptosis and necrosis of such foam cells to form lipid-rich necrotic core, inflammasome activation by cholesterol crystals and other factors, stabilization of plaques by extracellular matrix produced by vascular smooth muscle cells and plaque rupture) are shown together with points where some key nutraceuticals mediate their actions. See text for more details.