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Arterial calcification: Finger-pointing at resident and circulating stem cells
Francesco Vasuri1, Silvia Fittipaldi1, Gianandrea Pasquinelli1
1Francesco Vasuri, Silvia Fittipaldi, Gianandrea Pasquinelli, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna University, I-40138 Bologna, Italy.
World Journal of Stem Cells
|November 27, 2014
Summary
Stem cells drive arterial calcification through differentiation, challenging the passive view. Identifying these osteoprogenitor stem cells requires new methods due to debated markers and tissue degradation.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Science
- Cell Biology
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Stem cells, first described in 1868, have diverse roles in health and disease.
- Arterial calcification, historically viewed as passive, is now understood to involve active stem cell mechanisms.
- Stem cells contribute to chondro-osteogenic differentiation, influencing atherosclerotic plaque stability or rupture.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review evidence for active arterial calcification driven by stem cells.
- To summarize the cellular players involved in this active calcification process.
- To propose a novel approach for identifying osteoprogenitor phenotypes in the arterial wall.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of stem cell research and arterial calcification.
- Analysis of existing evidence on stem cell differentiation in vascular tissue.
- Exploration of osteoclast morphology and division as a model for osteoprogenitor identification.
Main Results:
- Stem cells, both resident and circulating, are implicated in driving arterial calcification.
- The identification of specific stem cell antigenic markers and osteoprogenitor phenotypes remains challenging.
- Tissue degradation complicates the precise recognition of stem cell phenotypes.
Conclusions:
- Arterial calcification is an active process involving stem cell differentiation.
- Consensus on stem cell markers is needed for comparable research.
- Osteoclast characteristics offer a potential new avenue for discovering osteoprogenitor markers in arteries.
