IL6 and atherosclerosis: To examine whether UA induces inflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules, which participate in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, we detected the expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in HUVECs assessed by FQ-PCR and western blotting assays and the TNF-α and IL-6 release from HUVECs measured by ELISA.