ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the association of fractalkine (FKN) and CD11c expressions oncommon carotid artery atherosclerotic plaques from apoE(-/-) mice with the severity of atherosclerotic lesions.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 24 apoE(-/-) mice were divided into two groups and fed on a high-fat diet or a normal diet for 12 weeks. Then the blood lipids as well as the plaque area and vascular stenosis rate of the common carotid artery were measured to evaluate the severity of atherosclerotic lesions of the animals. Moreover, immunohistochemical staining was performed to examine the levels of FKN and CD11c expression.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The plaque areas and vascular stenosis rates of the common carotid artery in the experimental group were remarkably larger than those in control group (about 4-fold and 2-fold, respectively). The level of FKN expression in the experimental group was 2 times of that in the control group (P<0.05), and the number of CD11c (+) cells in the plaques in the experimental group was about 4 times of than in the control group (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The expressions of chemokine and FKN remarkably increase in apoE (-/-) atherosclerotic plaques, suggesting that chemokine and FKN may paly important roles in the development of atherosclerosis.</p>