Figure 1.

Cellular actors present in the atheroma plaque. Dysfunction of endothelial cells allows lipoprotein and erythrocyte infiltration in the sub-endothelial space (the arrow indicates this infiltration). Intraplaque macrophages that engulf oxidised LDL and infiltrated erythrocytes differentiate into foam cells initiating the atheroma formation. Enhanced inflammatory processes in atheroma cause smooth muscle cell migration from the media to the intima, towards the necrotic core formed by dead foam cells.