Thomas K. Borg, Wayne Carver, and Louis Terracio are at the Department of Developmental Biology and Anatomy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
Trends Cardiovasc Med. 1996 Feb;6(2):65-70. doi: 10.1016/1050-1738(96)00005-9.
The cardiac interstitium represents a system of diverse extracellular matrix (ECM) components organized into a complex, three-dimensional network that surrounds the cellular components of the heart (Borg and Caulfield 1981, Weber et al. 1994, Comper 1995). The interaction of the cellular components with the interstitium is dynamic and occurs in response to physiological signals during development, normal homeostasis, and disease (Borg and Caulfield 1981, Weber et al. 1994). Both the quantitative and qualitative expression of ECM components play an important role in cardiac function; however, the mechanisms that regulate the expression and function are not well understood. The manner in which the terminally differentiated myocyte perceives its external environment is of critical importance to the function of the heart. These external signals are delivered via the other two major components of the heart: the vascular system and the surrounding interstitium or ECM. Although it is obvious that the vascular system provides the transport of a variety of regulatory components that influence the contractile ability of the myocyte, the role of the interstitium in relation to cardiac function is less understood and is the focus of this review.
心脏间质代表了一个由多种细胞外基质 (ECM) 成分组成的系统，这些成分组织成一个复杂的三维网络，围绕着心脏的细胞成分 (Borg 和 Caulfield 1981, Weber 等人 1994, Comper 1995)。细胞成分与间质的相互作用是动态的，发生在发育、正常稳态和疾病过程中的生理信号响应中 (Borg 和 Caulfield 1981, Weber 等人 1994)。ECM 成分的定量和定性表达都对心脏功能起着重要作用；然而，调节表达和功能的机制尚不清楚。终末分化的心肌细胞感知其外部环境的方式对心脏功能至关重要。这些外部信号通过心脏的另外两个主要成分传递：血管系统和周围的间质或 ECM。尽管很明显，血管系统提供了各种调节成分的运输，这些成分影响心肌的收缩能力，但间质在心脏功能方面的作用还不太清楚，这是本综述的重点。
