APOE and atherosclerosis: Consistently, protein levels of activated GSDMD (GSDMD-N) and activated caspase-1 (p10) in aortas of ApoE−/− mice were also gradually increased during the development of atherosclerosis, and significant GSDMD activation and caspase-1 activation was observed in the 14 and 18-week-old ApoE−/− mice but not in 11-week-old mice compared with 6 or 8-week-old ApoE−/− mice (Figures 1C–E).