Role of Diverse Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotypic Transitions in Atherosclerosis Development and Late-Stage Pathogenesis
Year: 2025
Type: review
Abstract: Major adverse cardiovascular events resulting from atherosclerotic plaque instability account for a plurality of deaths worldwide despite the use of highly effective lipid-lowering therapies. Over the last three decades, the role of inflammation in atherogenesis has been tested extensively. Although preclinical studies demonstrate a clear role for inflammation in atherogenesis, clinical studies using global anti-inflammatory therapies have not been as successful as hoped, encouraging the search for new therapeutic strategies. Thanks to the advent of cell-specific lineage tracing, we have begun to appreciate the multifaceted role of smooth muscle cell phenotypic switching in modulating plaque stability. Here, we review the mechanisms controlling smooth muscle cell phenotypic switching during early and late-stage pathogenesis, which may inspire future therapies to stabilize plaques.
Source: Annual Review of Physiology
Authors: Vlad Serbulea, James M. Martin, Gary K. Owens
Institutions: University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University
Language: English
Subfield: Immunology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funder: National Institutes of Health
Awards: Role of Metabolic Reprogramming in Formation and Maintenance of the Acta2+ Atherosclerotic Lesion Protective Fibrous Cap, Bioenergetic manipulation of smooth muscle cells as a novel therapeutic intervention for atherosclerosis, Role of Smooth Muscle Cell Insulin Resistance and Systemic Metabolic Dysfunction in Atherosclerosis Development and Late Stage Lesion Pathogenesis
OpenAlex ID: W4415887631