Figure 1

Digital microscope images of the intimal surface of the aorta from the ascending aorta to the femoral arteries, dissected from two 40–42 weeks old female apoE^-/- mice. The atherosclerotic plaques are discernible as white areas of the light grey background of normal aorta. The plaque area was determined by means of digital microscope images on which the plaque-area was determined with a Leica imaging program IM50 (Leica Microsystems Imaging Solutions). The scale bars represent 1 cm.