[Mechanisms of Vascular Remodeling Following Arterial Injury]

Arterial remodeling is the process of adaptation of the vessel comprising multiple structural and functional alterations of the vascular wall that occur in disease, trauma or aging. Arterial remodeling is accelerated in conditions that adversely affect the structural and functional balance of the vascular system, such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, kidney disease, inflammatory diseases, genetic abnormalities, and mechanical damage. Pathological changes in the vascular wall lead to organ damage and, ultimately, death. The aim of this paper is to review the various factors and complex mechanisms, which underlie negative arterial remodeling after mechanical injury and data indicating on the key role of the urokinase plasminogen activator in this process.