ENDOTHELIAL CELL PROLIFERATION AND DIFFERENTIATION IN RESPONSE TO SHEAR STRESS

Atherosclerotic lesions preferentially locate at branch or bifurcation areas along the vessel wall, indicating that mechanical forces created by local flow patterns may exert different effect on the lesion development. Since the integrity of endothelium plays a role in the lesion formation, endothelial cell (EC) growth, proliferation and apoptosis that may be followed by endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) repair could be key issues. Recent evidence indicates that laminar shear stress can stimulate multi-potent stem or progenitor cells from different sources to differentiate toward EC lineage, which provides a promising cell source for cell-based therapeutic application in cardiovascular diseases. However, the underlying mechanism is far from well-understood. This chapter will give an overview of the effect of local flow pattern on EC differentiation, proliferation, survival and apoptosis and the possible underlying mechanism.