A Co-Culture System for Studying Cellular Interactions in Vascular Disease

Autor: Abirami M. Padmanaban, Kumar Ganesan, Kunka Mohanram Ramkumar
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Bioengineering, Vol 11, Iss 11, p 1090 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2306-5354
36123900
DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering11111090
Popis: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally, characterized by complications such as heart failure, atherosclerosis, and coronary artery disease. The vascular endothelium, forming the inner lining of blood vessels, plays a pivotal role in maintaining vascular homeostasis. The dysfunction of endothelial cells contributes significantly to the progression of CVDs, particularly through impaired cellular communication and paracrine signaling with other cell types, such as smooth muscle cells and macrophages. In recent years, co-culture systems have emerged as advanced in vitro models for investigating these interactions and mimicking the pathological environment of CVDs. This review provides an in-depth analysis of co-culture models that explore endothelial cell dysfunction and the role of cellular interactions in the development of vascular diseases. It summarizes recent advancements in multicellular co-culture models, their physiological and therapeutic relevance, and the insights they provide into the molecular mechanisms underlying CVDs. Additionally, we evaluate the advantages and limitations of these models, offering perspectives on how they can be utilized for the development of novel therapeutic strategies and drug testing in cardiovascular research.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals