Secondly, high concentrations of alcohol were found to decrease hypersensitive epithelial resistance, increase cell adhesion molecule (CAM) expression, and interleukin-6 production, while increasing monocyte chemotactic protein-1 expression and monocyte adhesion, thereby promoting inflammation and increasing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which play a critical role in atherosclerosis [28]. This evidence concerns the gene CCL2 and atherosclerosis.