Cardiovascular disease is among the leading causes of death in the US. It stems from the pathological buildup of plaque within the vasculature known as vascular calcification. Medial calcification, or arteriosclerosis is the buildup of plaque within the medial layer of the arteries resulting in artery wall stiffening and reduction of blood flow. Evidence suggests that the vascular smooth muscles cells (VSMCs) that line the medial layer of the arteries, undergo a phenotypic switch to osteoblast-like cells to deposit calcium while in this pathological state. The Wnt/BETA-catenin pathway could potentially play a role in the phenotypic modulation. Inhibition of the Wnt signaling pathway could be a promising approach to combat vascular calcification. Sclerostin (SOST) has been shown to be upregulated during arteriosclerosis in a manner that is indicative of the possible therapeutic potential of the protein. Therefore, we propose to confirm the role of Wnt signaling in vascular calcification and investigate the effects of SOST treatment on vascular calcification.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:MSSTATE/oai:scholarsjunction.msstate.edu:td-6219 |
| Date | 06 August 2021 |
| Creators | Boone, Jada S. |
| Publisher | Scholars Junction |
| Source Sets | Mississippi State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
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