[Apoptosis and acute coronary syndromes].
Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the arterial wall. Ischemic manifestations of atherosclerosis are mainly due to thrombus formation upon a superficially eroded (denudation of luminal endothelium, 40% of cases) or deeply ruptured (fibrous cap rupture, 60% of cases) plaques. Recent studies have unraveled potentially critical roles for both inflammatory and apoptotic processes in plaque destabilization leading to thrombus formation. Pro-inflammatory mediators have been particularly implicated in the loss of smooth muscle cell and the promotion of collagen degradation that are responsible for fibrous cap rupture, whereas apoptosis has been identified as one of the major determinants of plaque thrombogenicity.
Mallat
Ziad
Z
Inserm U.541, Hôpital Lariboisière, 75475 Paris Cedex 10, France.
Tedgui
Alain
A
D000208:Acute Disease; D017209:Apoptosis; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000473:pathology; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology
D003094:Collagen