Therefore, it is likely that both Lp-PLA2 and YKL-40 may contribute significantly to the formation and progression of atherosclerosis, and we hypothesized that simultaneously down-regulating the expression of Lp-PLA2 and YKL-40 may ameliorate atherosclerotic plaques more efficiently than knockdown of Lp-PLA2 or YKL-40 alone. Here, CHI3L1 is linked to atherosclerosis.