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Updated: Oct 27, 2025
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In Vitro Model of Physiological and Pathological Blood Flow with Application to Investigations of Vascular Cell Remodeling
Published on: November 3, 2015
9.8K
Vascular dysfunction and pathology: focus on mechanical forces.
Gloria Garoffolo1, Maurizio Pesce1
1Unità di Ingegneria Tissutale Cardiovascolare, Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, Via Parea, Milan, Italy.
Vascular Biology (Bristol, England)
|July 22, 2021
Summary
Mechanical forces significantly influence cardiovascular health by affecting cellular sensing of the extracellular matrix and tissue geometry. This review explores how these mechanical cues drive gene expression and epigenetic changes in vascular disease.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Biology
- Mechanobiology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Mechanical forces are increasingly recognized for their role in cardiovascular pathophysiology.
- Cellular mechanosensing traditionally focused on flow, but now includes extracellular matrix properties and tissue mechanics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the emerging role of mechanical forces in cardiovascular disease.
- To contextualize how cells interpret and respond to mechanical cues in vascular pathology.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of mechanobiology and cardiovascular pathology.
- Synthesis of current understanding of cellular mechanotransduction.
Main Results:
- Cellular sensing of mechanical forces involves more than just flow, encompassing extracellular matrix biophysics and tissue geometry.
- Cells actively convert mechanical signals into specific gene expression and epigenetic modifications.
Conclusions:
- Mechanical forces are critical regulators of cardiovascular health and disease.
- Understanding cellular responses to mechanical cues is vital for addressing vascular pathologic programming.
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