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Updated: Mar 6, 2026
Quantitative Analysis of Cellular Composition in Advanced Atherosclerotic Lesions of Smooth Muscle Cell Lineage-Tracing Mice
Published on: February 20, 2019
Cell-Based Models for Development of Antiatherosclerotic Therapies
Emile R Zakiev1, Nikita G Nikiforov2, Alexander N Orekhov3
1Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, Moscow, Russia; INSERM UMR_S 1166-ICAN Faculté de Médecine Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
Insights
Cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death, involves arterial plaque buildup. This review highlights cell models for screening potential atherosclerosis treatments, offering hope for clinical applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical research
- Cardiovascular science
- Cell biology
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease is a global health crisis, primarily driven by atherosclerosis.
- Atherosclerotic plaque development is often asymptomatic until advanced stages, limiting early intervention.
- Current treatments for atherosclerosis have questionable efficacy and safety profiles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the utility of in vitro and ex vivo cell models for studying atherosclerosis.
- To identify models suitable for screening novel therapeutic compounds.
- To explore the potential of cell models for advancing clinical applications in cardiovascular disease.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies utilizing cell-based models for atherosclerosis research.
- Analysis of in vitro models (e.g., cell cultures) and ex vivo models (e.g., tissue explants).
- Evaluation of model relevance for assessing plaque development and regression.
Main Results:
- Cell models offer a viable platform for investigating the mechanisms of atherosclerosis.
- These models facilitate the screening of compounds for anti-atherosclerotic properties.
- Successful application of cell models can accelerate the development of effective treatments.
Conclusions:
- In vitro and ex vivo cell models are crucial tools for cardiovascular research.
- These models provide a promising avenue for discovering and testing new therapies for atherosclerosis.
- Advancements in cell modeling can significantly impact clinical strategies for managing cardiovascular disease.
Abstract:
The leading cause of death worldwide is cardiovascular disease. Among the conditions related to the term, the most prominent one is the development of atherosclerotic plaques in the walls of arteries. The situation gets even worse with the fact that the plaque development may stay asymptomatic for a prolonged period of time. When it manifests as a cardiovascular disorder, it is already too late: the unfortunate individual is prescribed with a plethora of synthetic drugs, which are of debatable efficacy in the prevention of atherosclerotic lesions and safety. Cell models could be useful for the purpose of screening substances potentially effective against atherosclerosis progression and effective in reduction of already present plaques. In this overview, we present studies making use of in vitro and ex vivo models of atherosclerosis development that can prove valuable for clinical applications.
