Extracellular Matrix in Vascular Disease, Part 2/4

Extracellular matrix remodeling: multiple paradigms in vascular disease.

Remodeling of the extracellular matrix is involved in the initiation and progression of a variety of diseases, including cancer1 and vascular pathology.2–6 However, our knowledge of the precise mechanisms that are involved in remodeling processes is still in its infancy. In this issue of Circulation Research, two studies, one by Bunton et al7 and one by Travis et al,8 provide important examples...

Extracellular matrix synthesis in vascular disease: hypertension, and atherosclerosis

Extracellular matrix (ECM) within the vascular network provides both a structural and regulatory role. The ECM is a dynamic composite of multiple proteins that form structures connecting cells within the network. Blood vessels are distended by blood pressure and, therefore, require ECM components with elasticity yet with enough tensile strength to resist rupture. The ECM is involved in conducti...

Vascular extracellular matrix and aortic development.

Extracellular Matrix Molecules Facilitating Vascular Biointegration

All vascular implants, including stents, heart valves and graft materials exhibit suboptimal biocompatibility that significantly reduces their clinical efficacy. A range of biomolecules in the subendothelial space have been shown to play critical roles in local regulation of thrombosis, endothelial growth and smooth muscle cell proliferation, making these attractive candidates for modulation of...

Vascular extracellular matrix and arterial mechanics.

An important factor in the transition from an open to a closed circulatory system was a change in vessel wall structure and composition that enabled the large arteries to store and release energy during the cardiac cycle. The component of the arterial wall in vertebrates that accounts for these properties is the elastic fiber network organized by medial smooth muscle. Beginning with the onset o...