SDC4 and atherosclerosis: It can cooperate with various receptors and play regulatory roles in different processes, including wound healing, inflammation, and atherosclerosis.[31,32] SDC4 increases mineralization in vascular smooth muscle cells, which are important in atherosclerotic plaques.[33] SDC1, in the same group as SDC4, an HSPG that uses different intracellular transduction mechanisms, was recently discovered to correlate with subclinical atherosclerosis in AS patients.[33] In animal experiments, different results were found regarding the relationship between SDC4 and atherosclerosis.