Anatomic Pathology Institute, Department of Biopathology and Image Diagnostics, Tor Vergata University of Rome, PTV Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy.
Biochem Pharmacol. 2010 Jun 15;79(12):1706-13. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2010.01.027. Epub 2010 Feb 1.
Accumulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in the tunica intima plays a major role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and restenosis following endovascular procedures. Arterial VSMCs are heterogeneous even in the normal vessel wall and display different phenotypes in physiological and pathological conditions. In the classical paradigm, vascular wall injury induces VSMC de-differentiation, proliferation and migration from the media into the intima in response to growth factors and proteolytic agents. Accordingly, VSMCs in atherosclerotic plaques and in restenosis display a de-differentiated or 'synthetic' phenotype compared to a 'contractile' phenotype in the normal media. In contrast, recent studies have identified bone marrow and peripheral blood-derived endothelial and VSMC progenitors that may contribute to intimal formation in atherosclerosis, after arterial injury and in transplant atherosclerosis. The precise frequency of these bone marrow-derived vascular precursor cells is controversial and their role is unknown. In addition, additional data support the presence of a resident progenitor cell subpopulation and its involvement in the response of the adult arterial wall to damage or ischemia. This review will examine the evidence for and the putative role of progenitor cell-derived VSMCs in arterial disease, a necessary prerequisite before deciding whether progenitor cells are therapeutic targets in vascular disease.
血管平滑肌细胞（VSMCs）在血管内膜中的积累在动脉粥样硬化的发病机制和血管内手术后再狭窄中起着主要作用。即使在正常血管壁中，动脉 VSMCs 也是异质的，并在生理和病理条件下表现出不同的表型。在经典范例中，血管壁损伤诱导 VSMC 去分化，并响应生长因子和蛋白水解剂从中膜迁移到内膜。因此，与正常中膜的“收缩”表型相比，动脉粥样硬化斑块和再狭窄中的 VSMCs 表现出去分化或“合成”表型。相比之下，最近的研究已经鉴定出骨髓和外周血来源的内皮和 VSMC 祖细胞，这些祖细胞可能有助于动脉损伤后和移植性动脉粥样硬化中的内膜形成。这些骨髓来源的血管前体细胞的确切频率存在争议，其作用尚不清楚。此外，其他数据支持存在常驻祖细胞亚群及其参与成年动脉壁对损伤或缺血的反应。这篇综述将探讨祖细胞衍生的 VSMCs 在动脉疾病中的证据和潜在作用，这是决定祖细胞是否是血管疾病治疗靶点之前的必要前提。
