LIBBY P et al. the procoagulant tissue factor (TF). 2–5 Examples of specific mediators involved in initiation of atherosclerotic plaques include vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). 6, 7 The chemoattractant cytokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) interacts with the monocyte chemokine receptor CCR2, recruiting the monocytes to the arterial endothelium and facilitating their entry between endothelial cells by diapedesis. 8, 9 One key mediator of monocyte maturation into macrophages within the intima, macrophage colony-stimulating factor, increases in experimental and human atherosclerotic lesions and can induce scavenger receptor expression. 10, 11