In the valves, calcification of the leaflets can change the mechanical properties of the tissue and result in stenosis. For many decades, vascular calcification has been noted as a consequence of aging. Studies now confirm that vascular calcification is an actively regulated process and shares many...
Virchow noted that vascular calcification was similar to bone and described calcified coronary artery lesions as "an ossification, and not a mere calcification", based on the observation of fully formed lamellar bone including trabeculae, lacunae, and areas resembling marrow [2, 3]. Recent evidence...
High glucose levels accelerated phosphate-induced aortic smooth muscle cell calcification.ASchematic representation of the experimental setup. Rat ASMCs were incubated in MEM containing either 1 g/L or 4.5 g/L glucose for one month. Following this period, the cells were incubated overnight in MEM ...
Although renal calcifications are not a feature of human GACI, the enpp1asj/asj mouse model is noted to have calcifications in the kidneys. Similar to previous findings, we noted light calcifications in the kidneys of E60% of the WT animals and 100% of the dosed enpp1asj/asj mice. ...
Vascular calcification refers to the process of calcium deposition in the extracellular matrix of arterial walls. Vascular calcification involves deposition of mineral in the ECM, VSMCs apoptosis and osteogenic transformations, dysregulated expression of mineralization inhibitors, and microvesicle (MV) release...
NEDD4-1, a widely known E3 ubiquitin protein ligase of PTEN, has diverse effects on cardiovascular diseases, including cardioprotective effects following myocardial ischemia‒reperfusion injury [70] and regulation of vascular calcification by modulating bone formation signals [71]. Our present study rev...
Elegant genetic analyses suggest that circulating OPN may synergize matrix Gla protein, a vascular matricrine inhibitor of BMP2 signaling (54), to control vascular calcification in vivo (33). As noted above, OPN plays an important immunomodulatory role as a Th1-type cytokine, again dependent upon...
While the IS incidence was higher in patients with vascular disease under 65 years in relative terms, it needs to be noted that the absolute number of strokes may seem somewhat small in these patients, when compared to older patients. However, an IS occurring in younger patients may result ...
Irisin protects the cardiovascular system against vascular diseases. However, its role in chronic kidney disease (CKD) -associated vascular calcification (VC) and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, we investigated the potenti
Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are a key regulator of vascular calcification. In the physiologic condition, VSMCs show a contractile phenotype and highly express related proteins such as smooth muscle (SM) α-actin, SM-22α, and calponin. Upon injury or stress, however, VSMCs downreg...