Figure 1.

Germline deletion of CD47 increases atherosclerosis, reduces plaque CD4⁺ T cells but does not affect plaque apoptosis. WT and Cd47^−/− mice (n = 16–17) were injected once with AAV-PCSK9^DY and fed high-cholesterol diet for 10 weeks. Weight (A) and cholesterol (B) were measured at the end of the experiment. Atherosclerosis was assessed in the aortic root. Lesion area (C) and lesion area as % of vessel area (D). Staining for Oil Red O (E,F) and Masson’s trichrome staining (G,H; n = 11). Percentage of lesional TUNEL+ nuclei (I; n = 7–9) and plaque necrotic core percentage (J). Quantification of lesional CD4⁺ T cells per aortic sinus section (K) and density of CD4⁺ T cells normalized by lesion area (L; n = 16–17). *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001.