Smooth muscle phenotype in aortic diseases: Are there other histopathological markers besides contractile myofibrils?

Abstract

This Editorial Comment compares clasical vs. new markers of phenotypic changes in arterial smooth muscle cell populations. Additionally, phenotype of normal and pathologically changed vascular smooth muscle is related with the expression patterns of fibrillar and ground substance of the vascular extracellular matrix.

Keywords

• aorta
• smooth muscle
• actin
• vimentin
• elastin
• desmin
• glycosaminoglycans