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Biological effects of elastin peptides
1Centre de Recherche en Gérontologie et Gériatrie, Université de Sherbrooke, Qc., Canada.
Insights
Elastin peptides, released from degraded arterial elastin, interact with cells via an elastin receptor. These interactions can be harmful, especially during aging, contributing to atherosclerosis progression.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Biology
- Molecular Medicine
- Aging Research
Background:
- Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of death, characterized by arterial lesions involving immune and smooth muscle cells.
- Arterial structure is disrupted by elastin degradation, releasing bioactive elastin peptides.
- These peptides interact with cells through a specific elastin receptor.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent investigations into the biological effects of elastin peptides.
- To elucidate the role of elastin peptides and their receptor in physiological and pathological processes.
- To understand the contribution of elastin peptide-receptor interactions to aging and atherosclerosis.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent investigations.
- Analysis of studies on elastin peptide-cell interactions.
- Examination of elastin receptor-mediated signaling pathways.
Main Results:
- Elastin peptides mediate both beneficial (vasodilation, cell adhesion) and harmful effects (elastase production, LDL oxidation, cholesterol synthesis).
- Harmful effects are exacerbated with aging due to chronic elastin peptide exposure.
- Elastin receptor activation plays a critical role in these processes.
Conclusions:
- Elastin peptides and their receptor are key players in arterial biology and disease.
- Understanding these interactions is crucial for developing therapeutic strategies against atherosclerosis.
- Targeting the elastin receptor pathway may offer new avenues for treating age-related cardiovascular diseases.
Abstract:
Atherosclerosis is clearly one of the most life-threatening diseases and a major cause of morbidity and mortality in industrialized countries. Typical arterial lesions contain both cells originating from the blood (monocytes/macrophages) and locally-recruited smooth muscle cells. The structure of the artery is profoundly disrupted. Degradation of arterial elastin fibers results in loss of elasticity, and several elastin peptides are released that can interact with various cells via an increasingly well-characterized elastin receptor. Elastin receptor-mediated reactions that are of obvious physiologic importance include vasodilating effects and induction of mesenchymal cell adhesion to elastin fibers. Other effects are potentially harmful, such as increased elastase production, free radical release, induction of LDL oxidation, and stimulation of endogenous cholesterol production. These deleterious effects become predominant during aging as a result of chronic exposure of the elastin receptor to circulating elastin peptides. This review describes the results of recent investigations into the biological effects of elastin peptides.