剪切力条件下血管内皮细胞与平滑肌细胞的相互作用

血管内皮细胞(endothelial cells,ECs)与平滑肌细胞(smooth muscle cells,SMCs)是血管壁的主要细胞,它们之间的相互作用在维持血管正常的生理功能以及心血管疾病的发生发展过程中至关重要。为真实模拟ECs与SMCs体内条件下的位置关系与生长状态,人们建立了多种共培养系统。介绍当前几种常用的能够加载流动剪切力的共培养系统,并分别比较其优势与不足;简要总结剪切力条件下ECs与SMCs相互作用对ECs与SMCs表型与分布、SMCs生长与迁移、ECs表面相关黏附分子表达的影响。研究表明,一氧化氮(NO)、细胞因子、microRNA等可以作为信号分子介导ECs与SMCs之间的相互作用。

Interactions between vascular endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells under shear stress

Endothelial cells (ECs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) are the most crucial components of the vascular wall, and the interactions between them are essential for the maintenance of normal vascular physiology, as well as the initiation and development of cardiovascular diseases. Various typical co-culture models have been developed to simulate the location and growth situation of ECs and SMCs in vivo. In this review, the co-culture systems combined with the device applying fluid shear stress were introduced with discussion on the strengths and limitations of each system. The influences of ECs-SMCs interaction on the phenotype and alignment of ECs and SMCs, growth and migration of SMCs, and adhesion molecules expression of ECs under shear stress were briefly reviewed. The established evidence indicates that nitric oxide (NO), cytokines and microRNA are the most important signal molecules mediating the interactions between ECs and SMCs.