Pro‑atherogenic activation of A7r5 cells induced by the oxLDL/β2GPI/anti‑β2GPI complex

A previous study has revealed that oxidized low‑density lipoprotein (oxLDL)/β2‑glycoprotein I (β2GPI)/anti‑β2‑glycoprotein I (anti‑β2GPI), an immune complex, is able to activate the Toll‑like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor κβ (NF‑κβ) inflammatory signaling pathway in macrophages, and consequently enhance foam cell formation and the secretion of prothrombin activators. However, the effects of the oxLDL/β2GPI/anti‑β2GPI complex on vascular smooth muscle cells have yet to be investigated. The present study investigated whether the oxLDL/β2GPI/anti‑β2GPI complex was able to reinforce the pro‑atherogenic activities of a rat thoracic aorta smooth muscle cell line (A7r5) and examined the underlying molecular mechanisms. The results revealed that the oxLDL/β2GPI/anti‑β2GPI complex treatment significantly (P