Aim To observe angiotensin-convertion enzyme 2(ACE2) and angiotensin-(1-7) proteins'expression in rabbit atherosclerotic tissues,and determine which cell types express ACE2 protein.Methods Male New Zealand white rabbits were underwent balloon-induced arterial wall injury and fed with high-fat diet for 4 months to construct atherosclerosis models.Abdominal aorta was processed for immunohistochemistry.Results Both ACE2 and angiotensin-(1-7) were expressed in abdominal aorta plaque.A large proportion of macrophage-positive cells and a percentage of smooth muscle cells,endothelia within atherosclerotic plaques expressed ACE2 protein.Angiotensin-(1-7) was present in areas with extracellular ACE2 immunostaining.Conclusions ACE2 and angiotensin-(1-7) are present in atherosclerotic tissues,which may participate in development of atherosclerosis.