Atherosclerosis

By Jamshed Arslan, Pharm. D., PhD.

Monocyte Chemotactic Protein-1 (MCP-1), also known as Chemokine C-C motif Ligand 2 (CCL2), is a small cytokine involved in immune response, inflammation and tissue repair. Specifically, MCP1 is responsible for recruiting monocytes, memory T cells, and dendritic cells to sites of tissue injury or infection. MCP-1 is produced by a wide range of cell types as a reaction to diverse inflammatory stimuli, and has been implicated in many diseases characterized by monocytic infiltrates, such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis.

We at Novus Biologicals have an extensive antibody catalog covering lipid and metabolism research, including Adiponectin and leptin antibody products.

Interleukin 6 is a complex pleiotropic cytokine having both anti and pro-inflammatory effects. Alterations in expression contribute to many human diseases, and the IL6 antibody is widely used in the research areas of innate and adaptive immunity, autoimmune disorders; CAD (coronary artery disease); neurological disorders; cancer and inflammatory disease.

The high prevalence of atherosclerosis in developed nations is not breaking news; it has been well established that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and it presents a major socioeconomic burden.

Ischemic cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the US and most other industrialized countries. Most commonly caused by atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries, ischemic cardiovascular disease is characterized by a reduced blood supply to the heart, leading to low oxygen, glucose, and pH levels.

MMP2 antibodies have proven to be important tools for cancer research and extracellular matrix studies. Novus Biologicals offers an excellent MMP2 antibody (Catalog Number NB200-114) for Western blot, immunoprecipitation, ELISA, and immunohistochemical/immunofluorescence staining in human, mouse and rat samples. Originally developed in 2005, this MMP-2 clone (8B4) has been thoroughly characterized and cited in a growing number of published journal articles.

The ATP Binding Cassette Transporter (ABCA1) gene encodes the cholesterol regulatory efflux protein, which plays a key role in lipid metabolism. ABCA1 antibody products are an important part of any antibody catalog covering atherosclerosis disease research.

We at Novus Biologicals recently added two new MCP1 antibodies to our antibody catalog. MCP1, also known as MCAF (monocyte chemotactic and activating factor) is released by a diverse range of cell types as part of the inflammatory response. A member of the SIG (small inducible gene) family, it is selective for monocytes and basophils, mainly to recruit monocytes to injury and infection sites.