CCL2 and cardiomyopathy: Although some authors have shown that increased levels of MCP-1/CCL2 and macrophagesin the heart contribute to cardiac damage,13,14 others havepointed out that macrophages have cardioprotective effects.15 In fact, one study showed thatdepletion of macrophages accelerates the development of cardiomyopathy inhypertensive rats.15 This effectcould be explained by an ability to maintain cardiac homeostasis during some cardiacdiseases.14