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The Effects Of Mechanical Strain On Vascular Calcification And The Canonical Wnt Pathway, Hannah E. Douglas
The Effects Of Mechanical Strain On Vascular Calcification And The Canonical Wnt Pathway, Hannah E. Douglas
Theses and Dissertations
Cardiovascular disease is a significant health crisis, representing 32% of deaths worldwide in 2019. Vascular calcification (VC), a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, is a regulated biomineralization process whose exact mechanisms are unknown. Additionally, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) significantly contribute to VC by undergoing a phenotypic switch and differentiating into osteoblast-like cells. When factors like hypertension cause disturbed laminar flow in the body’s vasculature, the mechanical stress promotes the phenotypic switch and calcification of VSMCs via mechanotransduction. VC is also induced by the Wnt pathway, which is activated via mineral imbalance and mechanical stimulation. However, the exact mechanisms behind …