ABSTRACT

Cardiovascular pathologies are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is a multifactorial disease and its major underlying cause is the inammation of large blood vessels (atherosclerosis), leading to thrombus formation, plaque rupture, and blockage of blood and nutrient supply to the adjacent cardiac tissues. The development of atherosclerosis has a strong inammatory component, and involves a number of risk factors such as elevated serum levels of modiœed lowdensity lipoprotein (ox-LDL), lower levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), smoking, sedentary lifestyle, genetics, age, a fatty acid-rich diet, and cholesterol.