The present results demonstrated that hyperlipidaemia is able to increase the rabbit abdominal aortic protein levels of NF-κB, TNF-α and IL-6 and upregulate the expression of TNF-α and IL-6 mRNA suggesting that the inflammatory response has a role in the angiogenic process in the initial phase of atherosclerosis. The gene discussed is NFKB1; the disease is atherosclerosis.