| Autor: |
Solache-Berrocal G; Cardiac Pathology Research Group, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), 33011 Oviedo, Spain.; REDinREN from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28040 Madrid, Spain., Barral-Varela AM; Cardiac Surgery Department, Complejo Asistencial Universitario de Salamanca (CAUSA), 37007 Salamanca, Spain., Areces-Rodríguez S; Cardiology Department, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias (HUCA), 33011 Oviedo, Spain., Junco-Vicente A; Cardiology Department, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias (HUCA), 33011 Oviedo, Spain., Vallina-Álvarez A; Biobank of the Principality of Asturias, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias (HUCA), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), 33011 Oviedo, Spain.; University Institute of Oncology of the Principality of Asturias (IUOPA), University of Oviedo, 33011 Oviedo, Spain., Corte-Torres MD; Biobank of the Principality of Asturias, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias (HUCA), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), 33011 Oviedo, Spain., Valdivielso JM; REDinREN from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28040 Madrid, Spain.; Vascular and Renal Translational Research Group, Biomedical Research Institute of Lleida (IRBLleida), 25198 Lleida, Spain., Llosa JC; Cardiology Department, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias (HUCA), 33011 Oviedo, Spain., Morís C; Cardiac Pathology Research Group, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), 33011 Oviedo, Spain.; REDinREN from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28040 Madrid, Spain.; Cardiology Department, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias (HUCA), 33011 Oviedo, Spain., Martín M; Cardiac Pathology Research Group, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), 33011 Oviedo, Spain.; REDinREN from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28040 Madrid, Spain.; Cardiology Department, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias (HUCA), 33011 Oviedo, Spain., Rodríguez I; Cardiac Pathology Research Group, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), 33011 Oviedo, Spain.; REDinREN from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28040 Madrid, Spain. |
| Abstrakt: |
Aortic valve stenosis is a serious disease with increasing prevalence in developed countries. Research aimed at uncovering the molecular mechanisms behind its main cause, aortic valve calcification, is thus crucial for the development of future therapies. It is frequently difficult to measure the extent of mineralisation in soft tissues and some methods require the destruction of the sample. Micro-computed tomography (µCT), a non-destructive technique, was used to quantify the density and volume of calcium deposits on cusps from 57 explanted aortic valves. Conventional and immunostaining techniques were used to characterise valve tissue degeneration and the inflammatory and osteogenic stage with several markers. Although most of the analysed cusps came from severe stenosis patients, the µCT parameter bone volume/tissue volume ratio distinguished several degrees of mineralisation that correlated with the degree of structural change in the tissue and the amount of macrophage infiltration as determined by CD68 immunohistochemistry. Interestingly, exosomal markers CD63 and Alix co-localised with macrophage infiltration surrounding calcium deposits, suggesting that those vesicles could be produced at least in part by these immune cells. In conclusion, we have shown that the ex vivo assessment of aortic valve mineralisation with µCT reflects the molecular and cellular changes in pathological valves during progression towards stenosis. Thus, our results give additional validity to quantitative μCT as a convenient laboratory tool for basic research on this type of cardiovascular calcification. |
