Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Although the protective effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 on the early stages of atheromatosis process have been investigated, data on its influence on factors implicated in plaque vulnerability are limited. During these stages metalloproteinases MMP-2, MMP-9, their inhibitors TIMP-1,TIMP-2, the RANKL-RANK-OPG system and MCP-1 play a critical role. We aimed to investigate the effect of vitamin D on the expression of the above factors on endothelial cel...