Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology
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Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. · Feb 2009
Altered shear stress stimulates upregulation of endothelial VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 in a BMP-4- and TGF-beta1-dependent pathway.
Hemodynamics has been associated with aortic valve (AV) inflammation, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here we tested the hypothesis that altered shear stress conditions stimulate the expression of cytokines and adhesion molecules in AV leaflets via a bone morphogenic protein (BMP)- and transforming growth fact (TGF)-beta1-dependent pathway. ⋯ The results demonstrate that altered hemodynamics stimulates the expression of AV leaflet endothelial adhesion molecules in a TGF-beta1- and BMP-4-dependent manner, providing some potential directions for future drug-based therapies for AV diseases.