Mechanical contribution of vascular smooth muscle cells in the tunica media of artery

The stiffness of arterial wall in response to cardiovascular diseases has been associated with the changes in extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, i.e., collagen and elastin. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) helped to regulate the ECM reorganizations and thus contributed to arterial stiffness. This article reviewed experimental and computational studies for quantifying the roles of ECM proteins and VSMCs in mechanical properties of arteries, including nanostructure and mechanical properties of VSMCs and ECMs, cell-ECM interaction, and biomimetic gels/scaffolds induced contractile properties and phenotype changing of VSMCs. This work will facilitate our understanding of how the microenvironments and mechanotransduction impact and regulate the arterial adaptation.