平滑肌细胞自噬在血管疾病中作用的研究进展

Recent progress in smooth muscle autophagy of vascular diseases

自噬在体内对于维持血管正常功能和结构发挥至关重要的作用。当受到应激刺激时,自噬水平增加,进一步促进细胞存活、表型转化及减轻钙化,从而避免增殖性血管疾病的发生,对血管平滑肌细胞起保护作用。相反,平滑肌自噬水平降低可促使细胞衰老,导致血管舒缩功能异常和结构改变,参与血管老化的进展。然而,自噬过度激活会损伤平滑肌细胞内正常的蛋白质和重要细胞器,甚至引发自噬性细胞死亡,加速血管疾病的进程。因此,充分利用自噬有利的一面,精确调控自噬或将成为治疗血管疾病的一种崭新方式。

Autophagy plays a crucial role in maintaining normal structure and vascular function in vivo. When stress-relevant stimuli are involved, the increases of autophagy can protect vascular smooth muscle cells, promote cell survival, and phenotype transformation, as well as reduce calcification. On the contrary~ the decrease of autophagy can accelerate cell senescence, resulting in structural changes and dysfunction of vasomotor and vasodilation. However, excessive activation of autophagy can induce the damage of the healthy protein and essential organelles, and even lead to autophagic cell death, accelerating the progression of vascular disease. Thus, the precise targeting of autophagy opens a novel way for treatment of vascular diseases.