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Full-Text Articles in Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering
Vascular Nanomedicine: Site Specific Delivery Of Elastin Stabilizing Therapeutics To Damaged Arteries, Aditi Sinha
Vascular Nanomedicine: Site Specific Delivery Of Elastin Stabilizing Therapeutics To Damaged Arteries, Aditi Sinha
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Elastin, a structural protein in the extra-cellular matrix, plays a critical role in the normal functioning of blood vessels. Apart from performing its primary function of providing resilience to arteries, it also plays major role in regulating cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, response to injury, and morphogenesis. Medial arterial calcification (MAC) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) are two diseases where the structural and functional integrity of elastin is severely compromised. Although the clinical presentation of MAC and AAA differ, they have one common underlying causative mechanism--pathological degradation of elastin. Hence prevention of elastin degradation in the early stages of MAC and …
Cell-Mediated Elastic Matrix Regeneration Toward Regression Of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, Carmen Gacchina
Cell-Mediated Elastic Matrix Regeneration Toward Regression Of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, Carmen Gacchina
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Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are typically fusiform (symmetric) dilations of the aortic wall most commonly arising below the renal arteries. The progression is typically associated with an activated smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotype, diminished density of mature medial elastic fibers, and an elevated presence of matrix-degrading enzymes (e.g., matrix-metalloproteases; MMPs), which may ultimately lead to vessel rupture. Currently, no surgical or non-surgical methods are available to regress AAAs via regeneration of new elastin matrices to regain normal vessel contour, particularly due to the inherently poor elastin synthesis by adult vascular cells and absence of methods to stimulate the same. Previously, …