Cysteinyl cathepsins and mast cell proteases in the pathogenesis and therapeutics of cardiovascular diseases.

ABSTRACT: The initiation and progression of cardiovascular diseases involve extensive arterial wall matrix protein degradation. Proteases are essential to these pathological events. Recent discoveries suggest that proteases do more than catabolize matrix proteins. During the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, abdominal aortic aneuryms, and associated complications, cysteinyl cathepsins and mast cell tryptases and chymases participate importantly in vascular cell apoptosis, foam cell formation, matrix protein gene expression, and pro-enzyme, latent cytokine, chemokine, and growth factor activation. Experimental animal disease models have been invaluable in examining each of these protease functions. Deficiency and pharmacological inhibition of cathepsins or mast cell proteases have allowed their in viv

SUBMITTER: Qin Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3134138 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature