The cellular pathobiology of atherosclerosis in 1983

Atherosclerosis is a dynamic process in which a number of stimuli to arterial lipid deposition, cell proliferation and cell death, and the synthesis of fiber and matrix proteins by modulated smooth muscle cells are the major factors which can vary to control to process. The circulating levels and interaction of lipoproteins, the integrity of the endothelium, the heart rate and the height of the blood pressure and many incompletely understood arterial wall factors all appear to affect these components. Although there are many unanswered questions, it is clear that immense progress has been made in the past 25 years in developing a reasonable understanding of the cellular pathobiology of the atherosclerotic process. The momentum of this progress is such as to project a very promising future in which the molecular pathology of atherogenesis will be understood well enough to permit prevention, retardation and more effective regression of the dangerous advanced plaque.