A major characteristic of advanced atherosclerotic lesions is the necrotic, or lipid, core,
which likely plays an important role in the clinical progression of these lesions. Recent data
suggest that the necrotic core forms primarily as a consequence of macrophage foam cell
necrosis. Lesional macrophages initially accumulate mostly cholesteryl esters, but
macrophages in advanced lesions contain large amounts of unesterified, or free, cholesterol
(FC). Although there are many theories as to why macrophage foam cells die in advanced …