Abstract
Atherosclerosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The chemokine CCL2/MCP-1 (monocyte chemotactic protein-1) is considered responsible for the recruitment of monocytes and macrophage differentiation. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) is associated with the development of atherosclerotic thrombi and their destabilization. However, there is an important controversy in t…