Biomarkers of atherosclerotic plaques instability. Results of arterial wall and blood studies

Evaluation of Long-Term Inflammatory Responses after Implantation of a Novel Fully Bioabsorbable Scaffold Composed of Poly-L-lactic Acid and Amorphous Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles

“…In turn, these activated inflammatory cytokines also produce more adhesion molecules, cytokines and chemokines, which further aggravate the inflammatory response. Inflammatory mediators such as IL-1 and IL-6 released at early stage of inflammation can promote the expression of MMP-9, while overexpressed MMP-9 can degrade extracellular matrix, destroy basement membrane, and further infiltrate inflammatory cells into deeper tissues [16]. Moreover, under the action of MMP-9, the extracellular matrix is degraded in the basement membrane, followed by the destroyed integrity of muscle fibers, which result in the infiltration of inflammatory cells into muscle tissue, leading to a series of pathological inflammatory changes, such as necrosis and phagocytosis of muscle fibers.…”