The role of vascular aging in atherosclerosis

Abstract

Vascular aging is an age-dependent degeneration of vascular structure and function, which can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Atherosclerosis is an essential pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. Vascular aging plays an important role in the progression of atherosclerosis. Effective evaluation of vascular aging is necessary for the clinical treatment of atherosclerotic diseases. This review summarized the structural and functional changes of vascular aging, and highlighted the important roles of telomere attrition, mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation of vascular cells in the process of atherosclerosis, aiming to provide new impetus for the clinical treatment of atherosclerotic diseases.

Keywords

• vascular aging|atherosclerosis|telomere attrition|mitochondrial dysfunction|inflammation