APOE and atherosclerosis: On the other hand, little effect of FTY720 on plaque lesions has been reported in apoE−/− mice on a normal laboratory diet [17] or in LDLR−/− mice on a moderately hypercholesterolemic diet [18], implying that the type of diet or the degree of atherosclerosis in the animals may affect the anti-atherosclerotic action of FTY720.