The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system plays crucial roles in cardiovascular physiology
and pathophysiology. However, many of the signaling mechanisms have been unclear. The …

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) rupture is an important cause of death in adults. Currently,
the only treatment for AAA is open or endovascular surgical repair. In most parts of the …

The smooth muscle cell directly drives the contraction of the vascular wall and hence
regulates the size of the blood vessel lumen. We review here the current understanding of …

Micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) are in the spotlight as post-transcriptional regulators of
gene expression. More than 1,000 miRNAs are encoded in the human genome. In this …

An aortic aneurysm is a dilatation in which the aortic diameter is≥ 3.0 cm. If left untreated,
the aortic wall continues to weaken and becomes unable to withstand the forces of the …

Chronic cardiac stress induces pathologic hypertrophy and fibrosis of the myocardium. The
microRNA-29 (miR-29) family has been found to prevent excess collagen expression in …

MicroRNA-122 (miR-122) is abundant in the liver and involved in lipid homeostasis, but its
relevance to the long-term risk of developing metabolic disorders is unknown. We therefore …

As the primary component of elastic fibers, elastin plays an important role in maintaining the
elasticity and tensile ability of cardiovascular, pulmonary and many other tissues and …

Background: Heart failure leads to mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic abnormalities of
the failing myocardium coupled with an energy-depleted state and cardiac remodeling. The …

MMP activation plays a causal role in the elastogenesis (production) and elastolysis
(degradation) in the arterial wall (Figure; Table). Elastin fibers are effectively digested by …