532: the Immunosuppressant Everolimus Significantly Prevents Atherosclerosis in LDLR-/- Mice Despite Severe Hypercholesterolemia

Purpose: Inflammatory processes play a critical role in atherogenesis. The immunosuppressant everolimus (Novartis, Basel), a mamlian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor has been recently shown to modulate cell cycle and cell proliferation. It has also been shown to reduce transplant vasculopathy in humans and different animal models. However, its effect on atherosclerosis has not been studied yet. Thus, the aim of our study was to investigate the effect of everolimus on atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic LDL-receptor-deficient mice.