Vascular Microenvironment and Atherosclerosis

Dear Colleagues,

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial wall that arises from complex interactions among vascular cells, immune cells, circulating factors, and the extracellular matrix within the vascular microenvironment. While dyslipidemia and inflammation are well-established drivers of disease, increasing evidence indicates that local cellular and molecular cues within the vessel wall critically shape disease initiation, progression, and plaque stability.

The vascular microenvironment integrates signals from endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, immune populations, and stromal components, as well as mechanical forces such as shear stress and matrix stiffness. These signals regulate key processes including endothelial activation, immune cell recruitment, metabolic adaptation, cellular phenotypic transitions, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Recent advances in single-cell and spatial omics technologies, high-resolution imaging, and experimental models have begun to uncover the remarkable heterogeneity and dynamic communication networks that characterize atherosclerotic plaques.

This Special Issue will highlight emerging insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms through which the vascular microenvironment regulates atherosclerosis. We welcome original research articles and reviews addressing intercellular communication, inflammatory signaling, metabolic regulation, extracellular matrix dynamics, and biomechanical influences on vascular biology and disease. Studies employing advanced omics approaches, innovative imaging methods, and translational models of atherosclerosis are particularly encouraged.

Dr. Abhijnan Chattopadhyay
Prof. Dr. Jacques P. Tremblay
Guest Editors

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