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Eotaxin Augments Calcification in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells
Author(s) -
Raghuraman Gayatri,
Hsiung Joseph,
Zuniga Mary C.,
Baughman Brittanie D.,
Hitchner Elizabeth,
Guzman Raul J.,
Zhou Wei
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of cellular biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 165
eISSN - 1097-4644
pISSN - 0730-2312
DOI - 10.1002/jcb.25752
Subject(s) - eotaxin , vascular smooth muscle , calcification , microbiology and biotechnology , smooth muscle , chemistry , biology , pathology , immunology , medicine , endocrinology , chemokine , inflammation
Calcification of atherosclerotic plaques in elderly patients represents a potent risk marker of cardiovascular events. Plasma analyses of patients with or without calcified plaques reveal significant differences in chemokines, particularly eotaxin, which escalates with increased calcification. We therefore, hypothesize that eotaxin in circulation augments calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) possibly via oxidative stress in the vasculature. We observe that eotaxin increases the rate of calcification significantly in VSMCs as evidenced by increased alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium deposition, and osteogenic marker expression. In addition, eotaxin promotes proliferation in VSMCs and triggers oxidative stress in a NADPH oxidase dependent manner. These primary novel observations support our proposition that in the vasculature eotaxin augments mineralization. Our findings suggest that eotaxin may represent a potential therapeutic target for prevention of cardiovascular complications in the elderly. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 647–654, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.