Moreover, evidence has proved that the absence of miR-21 in macrophages increased the miR-21 target gene, MKK3, promoting the activation of p38-CHOP and the JNK signaling pathway, which resulted in accelerated atherosclerosis, plaque necrosis, and vascular inflammation (Canfrán-Duque et al., 2017). This evidence concerns the gene MAPK8 and atherosclerosis.