FIG. 2.

Proatherosclerotic action of NTBI. NTBI exerts a complex multifactorial action in atherosclerosis by (i) altering the composition of the serum in terms of cholesterol amount and oxidation of lipids and proteins; (ii) causing oxidative stress, activation, and apoptosis of ECs, which trigger vascular permeability and monocyte adhesion; (iii) affecting the functional phenotype and survival of VSMCs, which induce intraplaque monocyte recruitment and calcification formation; (iv) inducing macrophage shift toward a proinflammatory phenotype with impaired cholesterol handling properties, which facilitates evolution into foam cells. EC, endothelial cell; VSMC, vascular smooth muscle cell. Color images are available online.