Authors: Matturri, Luigi; Maria Lavezzi, Anna

Source: Current Cardiology Reviews, Volume 2, Number 4, November 2006 , pp. 255-259(5)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

Abstract:

The current knowledge of the development and progression of atherosclerotic lesions is largely owed to experimental studies carried out in animals fed a high cholesterol diet. Only a few studies have addressed the atherogenic effects of other important exogenous risk factor, namely cigarette smoking. The results of our research into the effects of cigarette smoking on the fetal arterial wall have demonstrated that the first reactive event is a severe alteration of the architecture of the tunica media, forming perpendicularly oriented columns of smooth muscle cells (SMCs), infiltrating the intima. These histopathological alterations go hand in hand with a marked change in the biological homeostasis of the SMCs. Our molecular biology research has shown that the first reaction of these cells to the nicotine is an intense activation of the c-fos proto-oncogene, followed by the transformation of the SMCs to “myofibroblasts”, characterized by the presence of β-actin and acquisition of both synthetic and ameboid activity. If the harmful effects of passive smoke persist, the myofibroblasts start to proliferate, as demonstrated by positivity of the PCNA, together with the onset of chromosomal alterations. These peculiar changes of the tunica media are the prerequisites for lipid accumulation that thereafter overwhelm the myofibroblast reaction.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis; smooth muscle cells; myofibroblasts; cigarette smoke

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Institute of Pathology, University of Milan, Via della Commenda, 19, 20122 Milan, Italy.

Publication date: 2006-11-01

More about this publication?

• Current Cardiology Reviews publishes frontier reviews on all the latest advances on the practical and clinical approach to the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. All relevant areas are covered by the journal including arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease, drugs, methodology, pacing, and preventive cardiology. The journal's aim is to publish the highest quality review articles dedicated to clinical research in the field. The journal is essential reading for all researchers and clinicians in cardiology.

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