Journal
VASCULAR MEDICINE
Volume 14, Issue 1, Pages 73-89Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD
DOI: 10.1177/1358863X08094801
Keywords
atherosclerosis; calcification; collagen; macrophage; plaque rupture; smooth muscle cell
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Funding
- Career Investigator Award from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research [MOP81305]
- Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario [NA6096]
- Heart and Stroke Richard Lewar Center of Excellence at the University of Toronto
- CIHR
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Collagens constitute a major portion of the extracellular matrix in the atherosclerotic plaque, where they contribute to the strength and integrity of the fibrous cap, and also modulate cellular responses via specific receptors and signaling pathways. This review focuses on the diverse roles that collagens play in atherosclerosis; regulating the infiltration and differentiation of smooth muscle cells and macrophages; controlling matrix remodeling through feedback signaling to proteinases; and influencing the development of atherosclerotic complications such as plaque rupture, aneurysm formation and calcification. Expanding our understanding of the pathways involved in cell-matrix interactions will provide new therapeutic targets and strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerosis.
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