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Updated: Feb 24, 2026

A Novel Stretching Platform for Applications in Cell and Tissue Mechanobiology
Published on: June 3, 2014
Biomechanical Stretch Induces Inflammation, Proliferation, and Migration by Activating NFAT5 in Arterial Smooth
Wei Cao1,2, Donghui Zhang1,2, Qiannan Li3
1Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150086, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
The increasing wall stress as is elicited by arterial hypertension promotes their reorganization in the vessel wall which may lead to arterial stiffening and contractile dysfunction. The nuclear factor of activated T cells 5 (NFAT5) pathway plays a role in regulating growth and differentiation in various cell types. We investigated whether the NFAT5 pathway was involved in the regulation of biomechanical stretch-induced human arterial smooth muscle cell (HUASMC) proliferation, inflammation, and migration. Herein, we showed that stretch promoted the expression of NFAT5 in human arterial smooth muscle cells and regulated through activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase under these conditions. This may contribute to an improved activity of HUASMCs and thus promote reorganization in vascular remodeling processes such as hypertension-induced arterial stiffening and contractile dysfunction.
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