ABSTRACT
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of human mortality (Lopez et al., 2006). Atherosclerosis, the single most important contributing factor to cardiovascular mortality (Libby, 2002), is the focus of this chapter. Atherosclerosis is a progressive disease that evolves over decades through a series of pathophysiologic stages initiated by endothelial dysfunction that is driven by hypercholesterolemia, inœammation, physical inactivity, diabetes, and other factors (Libby, 2007; Packard and Libby, 2008; Stary et al., 1995; Stary, 2000; Vita and Losenlzo, 2002). Minipig models of diabetes are the topic of a separate chapter and will not be reviewed here.
