DDIT3 and endothelial dysfunction: HANG et al. found that in ox-LDL-induced human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs), ERS-related proteins such as CHOP, p-PERK, GRP78, NLRP3, and interleukin-1β were upregulated, suggesting that ERS induces VECs apoptosis and mediates inflammation to promote endothelial dysfunction (Hang et al., 2020).