PTX3 and atherosclerosis: In contrast to CRP, which has a recent evolutionary history, PTX3 is structurally highly conserved from mice to men.[4] It shows little correlations with standard vascular risk factors [11], is not produced in the liver but locally in atherosclerotic lesions themselves [12] and was reported to accumulate during atherosclerosis progression in a murine model [13] - making PTX3 a promising and more specific marker for vascular inflammation.