title: [An active, cell-mediated process, resembling osteogenesis in molecular mechanism of vascular calcification].
abstract: Vascular calcification causes management of hemodynamics more difficult and finally leads to cardiovascular events in the clinical setting. Thinking about the crucial mechanisms of vascular calcification, recent researches reveal the evidence of a biological linkage between bone and vascular calcification. Accumulating evidences show that vascular calcification is attributable to an active 'cell-mediated process' resembling osteogenesis in bone rather than passive mineral precipitation, so called calcium shift theory, as a previous hypothesis. Especially, major mechanism shows the importance of phenotypic transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells into osteo/chondrocytic-like cells under correlation of bone morphogenetic proteins, potent osteo/chondrogenic transcription factors Runx2, and so on. The detailed understanding of the complex mechanisms may lead to new opportunity to find the therapeutic strategies, concordantly enhancing bone mineral density and preventing vascular calcification.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, University of Tokyo.
authors.forename: Katsuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iijima
mesh_terms: D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000473:pathology*; D010012:Osteogenesis; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000473:pathology