Macrophages Promote Aortic Valve Cell Calcification and Alter STAT3 Splicing.

Objective: Macrophages have been described in calcific aortic valve disease, but it is unclear if they promote or counteract calcification. We aimed to determine how macrophages are involved in calcification using the model of calcific aortic valve disease. Approach and Results: Macrophages in wild-type and murine aortic valves were characterized by flow cytometry.