Atherosclerosis Papers

Atherosclerosis: Vascular Disease Development and Progression
Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease occurring in the arterial wall over many decades and is characterized by lesion formation and luminal narrowing of the arteries. Atherosclerosis is the most common disease of modern times. In symptomatical situations, arteriosclerosis can be obvious like coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, peripheral arterial occlusion disease. The disease caused by narrowing of the artery and a transient ischemia. Foam cell formation is one of the early events of atherosclerosis. Macrophages and smooth muscle cells (SMCs), accumulate lipid through scavenger receptors converting cells into lipid-laden foam cells, a process involving the
The intima is made up of a single layer of endothelial cells that are seated on basement membrane and then the internal elastic lamina ( IEL ). Beneath the IEL is the medial layer, comprising vascular smooth muscle cells ( VSMC s) surrounded by basement membrane and embedded in interstitial extracellular matrix. The boundary of the media is marked by the external elastic lamina ( EEL ).
In the artery, monocytes differentiate into macrophages which take up the lipid and become foam cell macrophages. Foam cell macrophages, engorged with lipid, begin to die and release their contents, which contributes to the formation of a necrotic core.
The progression of atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis is characterized by progressive accumulation of lipids, macrophages, cell fragments, and connective tissue material in the tunica intima of vascular walls, in a process consisting of and driven by chronic inflammation
An atheromatous plaque that develops in the vasculature induces luminal narrowing and compromised blood flow. When the fibrous cap this due to matrix degradation and cell death, the unstable plaqu can rupture into the lumen of the blood vessels causing