What is VSMC?
Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) are highly specialized cells whose principal function is contraction and regulation of blood vessel tone, blood pressure, and blood flow.
What is smooth cell proliferation?
Proliferation of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) represents an important event in vascular lesion formation. Our hypothesis is that injury causes mitogens to be released from dead cells, which then stimulate cell proliferation.
What causes smooth muscle cell proliferation?
After injury, there is deposition of platelets that release platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and other mitogenic factors that penetrate the vascular wall and trigger medial vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration. The platelets also release chemokines, which initiate an inflammatory response.
Why do smooth muscle cell proliferation in atherosclerosis?
The earliest changes that precede the formation of lesions of atherosclerosis take place in the endothelium (EC), with resultant endothelial dysfunction. The EC-induced injury can result in increased lipid permeability, macrophage recruitment, formation of foam cells, and recruitment of T-lymphocytes and platelet.
Where in the body are VSMC found?
Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are an important component of blood vessels. The cells are located in the medium part of a blood vessel, that is, tunica media , where they are oriented in a circle around the vascular lumen and form numerous layers.
How do you increase the size of your smooth muscles?
Smooth muscle can be stimulated by pacesetter cells, by the autonomic nervous system, by hormones, spontaneously, or by stretching. The fibers in some smooth muscle have latch-bridges, cross-bridges that cycle slowly without the need for ATP; these muscles can maintain low-level contractions for long periods.
Why is smooth muscle important?
Smooth muscle can tense and relax but has greater elastic properties than striated muscle. This quality is important in organ systems like the urinary bladder, where the preservation of contractile tone is a necessity.
What diseases can atherosclerosis cause?
Risk factors may include high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, obesity, physical activity, and eating saturated fats. Atherosclerosis can cause a heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, or blood clot.
Does calcium cause vasodilation?
Calcium-induced vasodilation was also obtained in the in situ circulation containing vascular bed, and this suggests that the vasodilation was due to a Ca(2+)-induced increase in the synthesis of NO derived from endothelial cells.
What is the proliferative response of the VSMC?
The VSMC can undergo a proliferative response that underlies the development of in-stent restenosis, bypass graft occlusion and transplant vasculopathy.
What are vascular smooth muscle cells ( VSMCs )?
Abstract. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are the stromal cells of the vascular wall, continually exposed to mechanical signals and biochemical components generated in the blood compartment. They are involved in all the physiological functions and the pathological changes taking place in the vascular wall.
How are VSMCs involved in the pathological process?
Numerous studies have subsequently found that the phenotypic transformation, proliferation, and migration of VSMCs are involved in the pathological process of atherosclerotic diseases [5,6].
What is the role of proliferation in vascular disease?
Proliferation is probably an early event, followed by a chronic process that provides an essential fibrous cap that prevents plaque rupture. Several vascular diseases involve VSMC proliferation as the primary pathophysiologic mechanism.
