Work

Fibroblast activation protein mediates vascular restenosis after surgery for peripheral arterial disease

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Postoperative vascular restenosis hampers long-term surgical outcomes in peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Aberrant vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration and proliferation drive neointimal hyperplasia, the core pathological feature of restenosis, yet key molecular regulators remain incompletely defined. This study characterizes fibroblast activation protein (FAP): GEO bioinformatics analyses nominated FAP as a candidate regulator. FAP is low in normal arteries but markedly upregulated in injured vessels and synthetic-phenotype VSMCs, correlating positively with VSMC migration. FAP knockdown represses VSMC migration in vitro and attenuates neointimal hyperplasia in vivo. RNA-sequencing implicates FAP in modulating the Net1–RhoA–ROCK axis, further validated by western blot. Collectively, FAP upregulation promotes VSMC migration to foster neointimal hyperplasia and restenosis, marking FAP as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for PAD-associated restenosis.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-74968-5

Authors: Jiashu Ge, Tianfeng Ma, Zeyu Cai, Dan Rong, Wei Guo

Institutions: Chinese PLA General Hospital, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command, Nanjing University, Peking University

Language: English

Topic: Peptidase Inhibition and Analysis

Subfield: Oncology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,690