Age-Related Arterial Calcification in the Context of Stroke

Calcification in arteries is an age-related malfunction of cell behavior, in which cells in blood vessel walls inappropriately take on some of the behaviors of bone cells called osteoblasts. These errant cells deposit calcium structures characteristic of bone tissue into the extracellular matrix, and that is in turn disruptive of tissue properties, particularly to the elasticity needed for constriction and dilation of blood vessels. In effect, blood vessels, and other structures such as heart valves that are subject to calcification, are slowly turning into bone. This causes cardiovascular dysfunctions that, given time, will ultimately prove fatal. As noted in today's open access review paper, calcification proceeds side by side with the development of atherosclerosis, the formation of fatty deposits in blood vessel walls that narrow and weaken blood vessels. These are two quite distinct processes, however. That they do coincide is most likely because both are influenced strongly by the state of inflammatory signaling, in the body at large, and localized to particular regions of blood vessel walls. Atherosclerosis produces inflamed areas of the blood vessel wall, where lesions form, by virtue of the way in which it derives from and interacts with the malfunction and inflammatory signaling of macrophage cells of the innate immune system. The surrounding vessel is thus more prone to calcification. Arterial Calcification and Its Association With Stroke: Implication...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs