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Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Isolation of Mouse Interstitial Valve Cells to Study the Calcification of the Aortic Valve In Vitro
Published on: May 10, 2021
Glycosaminoglycan synthesis and structure as targets for the prevention of calcific aortic valve disease
K J Grande-Allen1, N Osman, M L Ballinger
1Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA.
Abstract:
Calcific aortic valve disease is frequently driven by ageing and the obesity-associated metabolic syndrome, and the increasing impact of these factors indicates that valve disease will become a cardiovascular disease of considerable significance. This disease is now thought to be an active cell-based disease process, which may therefore be amenable to therapeutic intervention. Some similarities are apparent with atherosclerosis. The accumulation of lipid, possibly by retention by proteoglycans and the attraction of inflammatory cells by hyaluronan, may be common to the early stages of both pathologies. The synthesis and structure of glycosaminoglycans, proteoglycans, and hyaluronan are exquisitely regulated, and the signalling pathways controlling these processes may provide tissue-specific opportunities for concomitant prevention of atherosclerosis and calcific aortic valve disease.
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