To What Degree can Vascular Stiffness be Reversed by Overriding Signaling Changes?

In this study, we integrated atomic force microscopy (AFM) and molecular approaches to determine whether increased stiffness of aortic VSMCs in hypertensive rats is ROCK-dependent, and whether the anti-hypertensive effect of ROCK inhibitors contributes to the reduction of aortic stiffness via changing VSMC mechanical properties. Despite a widely held belief that aortic stiffening is associated with changes in extracellular matrix proteins and endothelial dysfunction, our recent studies demonstrated that intrinsic stiffening of aortic VSMCs, independent of VSMC proliferation and migration, is an important contributor to aortic wall stiffening both in hypertensive and aged animals. The present study demonstrates for the first time that ROCK is a novel mediator of aortic VSMC stiffening in hypertension, which has never been described previously. Furthermore, our study also indicated that attenuation of aortic VSMC stiffening by pharmacological inhibition can serve as a promising therapeutic target to correct aortic stiffening not only in hypertension, but also in other age-related vascular diseases. Link: https://doi.org/10.1159/000485284
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs