The regulatory mechanisms of the inflammatory process in the atherosclerotic plaque are still not clearly understood. Stimulated T cells may have a key role in enhancing and perpetauting inflammation at the atherosclerotic site. They activate endothetial cells, macrophages and smooth muscle cells in the atherosclerotic plaque, not only via the production of soluble midiators, but also through cell-cell contact-mediated interactions (via membrane receptors and their ligands). Cell/cell contact...