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The adipocyte/macrophage fatty acid-binding proteins aP2 (FABP4) and Mal1 (FABP5) are intracellular lipid chaperones that modulate systemic glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and atherosclerosis. Combined deficiency of aP2 and Mal1 has been shown to reduce the development of atherosclerosis, but the independent role of macrophage Mal1 expression in atherogenesis remains unclear.

We transplanted wild-type (WT), Mal1^−/−, or aP2^−/− bone marrow into low-density lipoprotein receptor–null (LDLR^−/−) mice and fed them a Western diet for 8 weeks. Mal1^−/−→LDLR^−/− mice had significantly reduced (36%) atherosclerosis in the proximal aorta compared with control WT→LDLR^−/− mice. Interestingly, peritoneal macrophages isolated from Mal1-deficient mice displayed increased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) activity and upregulation of a PPARγ …