Cited by 440Cardiovascular Health and Disease PreventionElasticity and Material ModelingCellular Mechanics and Interactions

Age-related vascular stiffening: causes and consequences

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Kohn, Julie C., Lampi, Marsha C., Reinhart-King, Cynthia A.·2015·Frontiers in Genetics

Abstract

Arterial stiffening occurs with age and is closely associated with the progression of cardiovascular disease. Stiffening is most often studied at the level of the whole vessel because increased stiffness of the large arteries can impose increased strain on the heart leading to heart failure. Interestingly, however, recent evidence suggests that the impact of increased vessel stiffening extends beyond the tissue scale and can also have deleterious microscale effects on cellular function. Altered extracellular matrix (ECM) architecture has been recognized as a key component of the pre-atherogenic state. Here, the underlying causes of age-related vessel stiffening are discussed, focusing on age-related crosslinking of the ECM proteins as well as through increased matrix deposition. Methods to measure vessel stiffening at both the macro- and microscale are described, spanning from the pulse wave velocity measurements performed clinically to microscale measurements performed largely in research laboratories. Additionally, recent work investigating how arterial stiffness and the changes in the ECM associated with stiffening contributed to endothelial dysfunction will be reviewed. We will highlight how changes in ECM protein composition contribute to atherosclerosis in the vessel wall. Lastly, we will discuss very recent work that demonstrates endothelial cells (ECs) are mechano-sensitive to arterial stiffening, where changes in stiffness can directly impact EC health. Overall, recent studies suggest that stiffening is an important clinical target not only because of potential deleterious effects on the heart but also because it promotes cellular level dysfunction in the vessel wall, contributing to a pathological atherosclerotic state.

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Crossref · 10.3389/fgene.2015.00112

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  1. Hurley D. C. (2009). “Contact resonance force microscopy techniques for nanomechanical measurements: introduction,” in Applied Scanning Probe Methods XI: Scanning Probe Microscopy Techniques, eds Avouris P. Bhushan, B. Bimberg, D. von Klitzing, K. Sakaki, H. Wiesendanger R.(Berlin: Springer-Verlag) 99– 100.
  2. Quevedo K. K. (2012). Aortic stiffness, blood pressure progression, and incident hypertension. Cardiol. Rev. 28 875– 881 10.1001/2012.jama.10503 PMC3594687 22948697 · DOI
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Authors
Kohn, J. C., Lampi, M. C., & Reinhart-King, C. A.
Affiliations
Cornell University (US)
Venue
Frontiers in Genetics
Published
2015-03-30
Volume
06
Pages
112-112
ISSN
1664-8021 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2048903244
Cited by
440
References
229
Citations by year
2026: 45 · 2025: 36 · 2024: 58 · 2023: 60 · 2022: 46 · 2021: 51 · 2020: 36 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 40 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1
FWCI
4.48
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Frontiers in Genetics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (1435755, 2013165170, 2013155462)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R21HL097296, HL097296)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiovascular Health and Disease Prevention
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Elasticity and Material Modeling
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Cellular Mechanics and Interactions
Keywords
arterial stiffening, aging, extracellular matrix, matrix deposition, pulse wave velocity, endothelial dysfunction, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, heart failure

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