Smooth Muscle Cells in Vascular Remodeling.

Abstract

As the primary causes of myocardial infarction, stroke, atherosclerosis, in-stent restenosis, and aneurysm, aortic diseases pose a serious threat to human health. Arterial remodeling is considered to be an important mechanism underlying the development of arterial diseases. Arterial remodeling refers to structural and functional alterations in arterial wall in response to vascular injury or aging. Vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs), a major component of the arterial wall, exhibit remarkable phenotypic plasticity and can dedifferentiate from a contractile state to a synthetic state, along with increased proliferation and migration abilities.1 Phenotypically modified SMCs play a major role in arterial remodeling.1 Recent publications in ATVB have delineated new pathways or factors that are involved in SMC phenotypic modulation and arterial remodeling. These studies have provided valuable insights for better understanding of regulatory mechanisms responsible for vascular remodeling. This article highlights studies on this topic that have published in ATVB recently.