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Updated: May 30, 2025

Calcification of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and Imaging of Aortic Calcification and Inflammation
Published on: May 31, 2016
Collagen-mediated cardiovascular calcification
Junlin Chen1, Chunyang Ma1, Jinyu Li2
1Key Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (Beihang University), Ministry of Education; Key Laboratory of Innovation and Transformation of Advanced Medical Devices, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; National Medical Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Advanced Medical Devices (Interdiscipline of Medicine and Engineering); School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100083, China.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular calcification is a pathological process commonly observed in the elderly. Based on the location of the calcification, cardiovascular calcification can be classified into two main types: vascular calcification and valvular calcification. Collagen plays a critical role in the development of cardiovascular calcification lesions. The content and type of collagen are the result of a dynamic balance between synthesis and degradation. Unregulated processes can lead to adverse outcomes. During cardiovascular calcification, collagen not only serves as a scaffold for ectopic mineral deposition but also acts as a signal transduction pathway that mediates calcification by guiding the aggregation and nucleation of matrix vesicles and promoting the proliferation, migration and phenotypic changes of cells involved in the lesion. This review provides an overview of collagen subtypes in the cardiovascular system under physiological conditions and discusses their distribution. Additionally, we introduce pathological changes and mechanisms of collagen in blood vessels and heart valves. Then, the formation process and characteristic stages of cardiovascular calcification are described. Finally, we highlight the role of collagen in cardiovascular calcification, explore strategied for mediating calcification, and suggest potential directions for future research.
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