Calcification of Advanced Atherosclerotic Lesions in the Innominate Arteries of ApoE-Deficient Mice

Abstract

Calcification of advanced lesions in chow-fed apolipoprotein E-deficient mice occurs reproducibly in mice between 45 and 75 weeks of age. The deposition of hydroxyapatite is mediated by chondrocytes, which suggests that the mechanism of calcification may in part recapitulate the process of endochondral bone formation.