ABSTRACT
Arterial smooth muscle cells are responsible for maintaining both arterial tension by contraction-relaxation and blood-vessel integrity by proliferation, migration, and synthesis of extracellular matrix. Accumulation of vascular smooth muscle cells and their matrix is one hallmark of fibrous atherosclerotic plaques and restenotic lesions after arterial injury. The phenotypic state of the cells may therefore determine if the smooth muscle cells have the potential to start formation of intimai lesions and fibrous plaques. Another approach to study the regulation of phenotypic properties of smooth muscle cells is by using freshly harvested smooth muscle cells from normal rat arteries. Smooth muscle proliferation is a key event in disease such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, and restenosis after both angioplasty or bypass grafting. To understand vessel wall behavior under normal and pathological conditions, it is necessary to know the regulation and composition of the extracellular matrix produced by smooth muscle cells.
