Wang Xia, Starodubtseva Maria N, Kapron Carolyn M, Liu Ju
Institute of Microvascular Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University& Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan, China.
Gomel State Medical University, Gomel, Belarus.
NPJ Aging. 2023 Jun 1;9(1):11. doi: 10.1038/s41514-023-00107-3.
Vascular aging is a major contributing factor to cardiovascular disease. The aged blood vessels, characterized by vascular wall thickening and stiffening, are instigated by endothelial cell dysfunction induced by oxidative stress and inflammation. von Willebrand Factor (vWF) is a glycoprotein known for its role in coagulation, and plasma levels of vWF are increased with age. Elevated vWF promotes thrombosis, atherosclerotic plaque formation, inflammation and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant associated with increased morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular disease. At low concentrations, Cd activates pro-survival signaling in endothelial cells, however enhances intima-media thickness and atherogenesis. A non-cytotoxic dose of Cd also increases endothelial vWF expression and secretion in vivo and in vitro. In this review, we summarize the molecular mechanisms underlying vWF-promoted vascular aging-associated pathologies and Cd-induced vWF expression. In addition, we propose that exposure to low-dose Cd is a risk factor for vascular aging, through elevation of plasma vWF.
血管老化是心血管疾病的一个主要促成因素。老化血管的特征是血管壁增厚和僵硬，这是由氧化应激和炎症诱导的内皮细胞功能障碍所引发的。血管性血友病因子（vWF）是一种以其在凝血中的作用而闻名的糖蛋白，其血浆水平会随着年龄的增长而升高。升高的vWF会促进血栓形成、动脉粥样硬化斑块形成、炎症以及血管平滑肌细胞的增殖。镉（Cd）是一种与心血管疾病发病率和死亡率增加相关的环境污染物。在低浓度下，Cd会激活内皮细胞中的促生存信号，但会增加内膜中层厚度和动脉粥样硬化的发生。非细胞毒性剂量的Cd在体内和体外也会增加内皮vWF的表达和分泌。在本综述中，我们总结了vWF促进血管老化相关病理和Cd诱导vWF表达的分子机制。此外，我们提出，通过升高血浆vWF，低剂量Cd暴露是血管老化的一个危险因素。
