Affiliations: INSERM U541, Hôpital Lariboisière, Paris, France
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Alain Tedgui, INSERM U541, Hôpital Lariboisière, 41 boul de la Chapelle, 75475 Paris cedex 10, France. Tel.: 331 44 63 18 66; Fax: 331 42 81 31 28; E‐mail: [email protected].
Abstract: Chronic changes in wall shear stress lead to vascular remodeling, characterized by increased vascular wall diameter and thickness, to restore wall shear stress values to baseline. Release of nitric oxide from endothelial cells exposed to excessive shear is a fundamental step in the remodeling process, and potentially triggers a cascade of events, including growth factor induction and matrix metalloproteinase activation, that together contribute to restructuralization of the vessel wall. Understanding these processes could help explain how changes in blood vessel wall structure occur in the context of atherosclerosis or aortic aneurisms.
