Rat aortic smooth muscle cells cultured on hydroxyapatite differentiate into osteoblast-like cells via BMP-2-SMAD-5 pathway.

ABSTRACT: Vascular calcification is an important pathological condition associated with increased risk of cardiovascular mortality. Hydroxyapatite (HA) found in such deposits is the same polymorph of calcium (Ca) found in bone, indicating calcification may involve mechanisms akin to bone formation. Vascular smooth muscle cells (Vsmcs) have been shown to undergo phenotypic change to osteoblast-like cells. However, the mechanisms underlying this phenotypic change are unclear, and whether the stimulus to become osteogenic is a result of loss of mineralization inhibitors or early mineral deposits is not known. Our aim in this study is to identify mechanisms and signal transduction pathways that cause differentiation of Vsmcs into osteoblast-like cells in the presence of HA. We first characterized vascul

SUBMITTER: Nahar-Gohad P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4393885 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature