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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Quantification of Monocyte Transmigration and Foam Cell Formation from Individuals with Chronic Inflammatory Conditions

Quantification of Monocyte Transmigration and Foam Cell Formation from Individuals with Chronic Inflammatory Conditions

Published on: October 17, 2017

Smooth muscle cell phenotypic switch: implications for foam cell formation.

Chiraz Chaabane¹, Matteo Coen, Marie-Luce Bochaton-Piallat

¹Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.

Current Opinion in Lipidology

|August 12, 2014

Summary

Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) contribute significantly to foam cell formation in atherosclerosis. Phenotypic switching in SMCs is linked to oxidized-LDL uptake and foam cell development in arterial lesions.

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Isolation of Primary Patient-specific Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells and Semiquantitative Real-time Contraction Measurements In Vitro

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Published on: February 15, 2022

Area of Science:

Cardiovascular Biology
Atherosclerosis Research

Background:

Low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) and oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) are key in atherosclerosis and foam cell formation.
While macrophages are primary foam cell sources, smooth muscle cells (SMCs) also contribute significantly.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the phenotypic switch of arterial SMCs during atherogenesis.
To elucidate the role of SMCs in intimal foam cell formation.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on SMCs, ox-LDL, and foam cell formation.
Analysis of in-vitro studies demonstrating SMC phenotypic changes and ox-LDL uptake.

Main Results:

SMCs are a major source of foam cells in human atherosclerotic plaques and experimental intimal thickening.
SMC-derived foam cells express receptors for ox-LDL uptake and HDL reverse transport.
In-vitro ox-LDL treatment induces foam cell formation and SMCs' transition to a synthetic phenotype.

Conclusions:

Arterial SMCs undergo a phenotypic switch during atherosclerotic plaque development.
This phenotypic transition is crucial for SMCs' contribution to intimal foam cell formation.