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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
05:51
A Human Ex Vivo Atherosclerotic Plaque Model to Study Lesion Biology
Published on: May 6, 2014
FOXP3+ regulatory T cells in vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques
International Journal of Cardiology
|August 26, 2009
Abstract:
Recently, Patel et al. reported that FOXP3 positive T cells are abundantly present in unstable atherosclerotic plaques. However, there is also evidence from immunohistochemical studies in humans, as well as experimental animal studies that their numbers are in fact relatively low. Since Treg are able to dampen tissue immune responses, their low numbers in plaques could be responsible for the ongoing inflammation that characterizes atherosclerosis.
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