内皮-间质转化与心血管疾病的研究进展

Research Advances of The Endothelial-to-mesenchymal Transition and Cardiovascular Disease

内皮-间质转化(endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition,End MT)属于上皮-间质转化(epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition,EMT)的特殊类型,是内皮细胞在多种刺激因素作用下向间充质细胞转化的过程,在此过程中内皮细胞逐渐失去其形态和功能,获得增殖、迁移和合成胶原等间充质细胞表型特点.近来研究发现,内皮-间质转化在内皮功能调节,心肌、血管及瓣膜的发育和结构重塑等方面发挥着关键的作用,提示其在心血管疾病领域具有重要的研究意义.本文对内皮-间质转化的特点、功能、调节机制以及在心血管系统发育、心肌纤维化、肺动脉高压和动脉粥样硬化性血管重构等心血管疾病中的作用做一综述,以期为心血管疾病的防治提供新靶点.

Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition（End MT） is a parallel process of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition（EMT）,during which endothelial cells down-regulate the endothelial cells markers and acquire the phenotype of mesenchymal cells including proliferation,migration and collagen synthesize.Recent studies have shown that End MT plays crucial physiological and pathophysiological roles in regulation of endothelial function,the development and structural remodel of cardiac muscle,cardiac valve and blood vessels.In this review,we summary the function and the regulation of the End MT,and then discuss the potential roles of the End MT in cardiovascular diseases including cardiac fibrosis,pulmonary hypertension and arteriosclerotic vascular remodeling,which may provide novel targets for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.