Osteogenic monocytes within the coronary circulation and their association with plaque vulnerability in patients with early atherosclerosis.

Objectives: This study tests the hypothesis that circulating mononuclear cells expressing osteocalcin (OCN) and bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) are associated with distinct plaque tissue components in patients with early coronary atherosclerosis.

Background: Plaque characteristics implying vulnerability develop at the earliest stage of coronary atherosclerosis. Increasing evidence indicates that cells from the myeloid lineage might serve as important mediators of destabilization.