| Proliferation of aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) is one of the major factors leading to the development of cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. Though lots of previous studies have investigated the effects of either biochemical or biomechanical factors on SMC responses, including cell proliferation and gene regulation, the combined effect of both factors has not yet been studied in normal physiological and pathological conditions like atherosclerosis, diabetes, and hypertension. Physiological level cyclic strain (10% strain) reduced SMC proliferation significantly compared to static culture controls. Three growth factors (TGF-beta, bFGF, and PDGF-AB) when added with 10% cyclic strain had a positive influence (increased proliferation) on SMC growth compared to the strain sample alone. Microarray analysis of SMCs exposed to both cyclic strain and growth factors showed that the stimuli induced changes in various gene expressions and their involvement in various mechanisms, including cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, MAPK, and JAK-STAT signaling pathways. |
