CCL2 and atherosclerosis: Several studies have demonstrated that the initiation and progression of inflammation-associated disorders such as atherosclerosis and CVD are governed by interactions between EC and MC via multiple inflammatory mediators, the best recognized of which are cell adhesion molecules (e.g., ICAM-1), chemoattractants (e.g., CCL-2, CCL-4, and CCL-5), growth factors (e.g., GM-CSF), and cytokines (e.g., IL-6, IL-8) (2, 20, 21).