Department of Pharmacology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun 58128, Korea.
Department of Biochemistry, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun 58128, Korea.
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 May 4;21(9):3246. doi: 10.3390/ijms21093246.
Vascular calcification (VC) is characterized by calcium deposition inside arteries and is closely associated with the morbidity and mortality of atherosclerosis, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and other cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). VC is now widely known to be an active process occurring in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) involving multiple mechanisms and factors. These mechanisms share features with the process of bone formation, since the phenotype switching from the contractile to the osteochondrogenic phenotype also occurs in VSMCs during VC. In addition, VC can be regulated by epigenetic factors, including DNA methylation, histone modification, and noncoding RNAs. Although VC is commonly observed in patients with chronic kidney disease and CVD, specific drugs for VC have not been developed. Thus, discovering novel therapeutic targets may be necessary. In this review, we summarize the current experimental evidence regarding the role of epigenetic regulators including histone deacetylases and propose the therapeutic implication of these regulators in the treatment of VC.
血管钙化（VC）的特征是钙在内膜沉积，与动脉粥样硬化、慢性肾脏病、糖尿病和其他心血管疾病（CVDs）的发病率和死亡率密切相关。现在人们广泛认识到，VC 是一种发生在血管平滑肌细胞（VSMCs）中的活跃过程，涉及多种机制和因素。这些机制与骨形成过程具有共同的特征，因为在 VC 过程中，VSMCs 的表型从收缩型向成骨软骨样表型转换。此外，VC 可以通过表观遗传因素进行调节，包括 DNA 甲基化、组蛋白修饰和非编码 RNA。虽然 VC 在慢性肾脏病和 CVD 患者中很常见，但尚未开发出针对 VC 的特定药物。因此，可能需要发现新的治疗靶点。在这篇综述中，我们总结了有关表观遗传调节剂（包括组蛋白去乙酰化酶）作用的现有实验证据，并提出了这些调节剂在 VC 治疗中的治疗意义。
