DKK1 and atherosclerosis: Classical pathological studies have demonstrated that plaque components, inflammation factors and apoptosis play important roles in modulating the stability of atherosclerotic plaques.26, 27, 28 We found that DKK1 silencing reduced macrophage accumulation and increased VSMC numbers in plaques, while DKK1 overexpression augmented plaque vulnerability during the entire process of atherosclerosis.