Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology
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Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. · Feb 2013
Fatty acid amide hydrolase deficiency enhances intraplaque neutrophil recruitment in atherosclerotic mice.
Endocannabinoid levels are elevated in human and mouse atherosclerosis, but their causal role is not well understood. Therefore, we studied the involvement of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) deficiency, the major enzyme responsible for endocannabinoid anandamide degradation, in atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability. ⋯ Increased anandamide and related FAAH substrate levels are associated with the development of smaller atherosclerotic plaques with high neutrophil content, accompanied by an increased proinflammatory immune response.