Fluid Mechanics, Arterial Disease, and Gene Expression

Area of Science:

• Vascular Mechanobiology
• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Vascular diseases, particularly atherosclerosis, exhibit distinct localization patterns.
• Early research in the 1960s identified correlations between blood flow characteristics and atherosclerotic plaque distribution.
• Wall shear stress (WSS) from blood flow is a key hemodynamic factor influencing vascular health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review modern research in vascular mechanobiology.
• To contextualize findings within hemodynamic phenomena and disease localization.
• To explore the impact of fluid shear stress on vascular cells.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of historical and modern research in vascular mechanobiology.
• Analysis of studies on endothelial cells (ECs) and their response to shear stress.
• Examination of research on smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts in response to interstitial flow.

Main Results:

• Blood flow-induced wall shear stress is associated with atherosclerotic plaque localization.
• Fluid shear stress significantly impacts endothelial cell morphology, biochemical production, and gene expression.
• Interstitial flow also mechanically activates vascular wall cells, influencing their biochemical production and gene expression.

Conclusions:

• Vascular mechanobiology is crucial for understanding vascular disease.
• Both endothelial cells and cells within the vascular wall respond to mechanical forces from fluid flow.
• Mechanistic insights into cellular responses to flow can inform therapeutic strategies for vascular diseases.