CCL2 and atherosclerosis: Indeed, the chemokines growth-related oncogene (GRO)-α/CXCL1 interleukin (IL)-8/CXCL8 and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1/CCL2 have all been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis [9], [10], [11], at least partly through their ability to attract and activate leukocytes into the vessel wall.