Endothelial Function and Cardiovascular Disease: Advances and Challenges

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, due to the emergence of RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq), single-cell RNA-seq, secretome profiling, lipidomics, metabolomics, etc., great strides have been made in our understanding of the important role of endothelial dysfunction in various types of cardiovascular disease (CVD). These biotechnological advances enable us to decipher the heterogeneity of endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and immune cells and unravel their unique roles in CVD, as well as assisting in the discovery of novel biomarkers of CVD. Beyond traditional lipid-lowering therapies such as statins exerting pleiotropic effects on endothelial cells, anti-inflammatory therapies with anti-interleukin 1 beta, colchicine and anti-interleukin 6 have marked the concept of “anti-inflammation therapy in atherosclerosis” as a reality. These anti-inflammatory therapies prevent CVD partially via preventing endothelial dysfunction. Endothelial cells safeguard vascular health by secreting vasoactive molecules, including nitric oxide, to maintain the vascular tone and anti-thrombotic interface. Once they have become dysfunctional, endothelial cells lose their capacity to maintain vascular homeostasis, leading to augmented inflammation, oxidative stress, constriction, leukocyte adhesion, endothelial–mesenchymal transition and senescence. Targeted therapies against these aspects of endothelial dysfunction hold promise for treating CVD. This Special Issue is devoted to the use of advanced technologies to understand the pathomechanisms of endothelial dysfunction in CVD, and to the discovery of novel targeted therapies. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, new therapeutic targets in endothelial dysfunction, nutraceuticals in preventing endothelial dysfunction and novel biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction. Preclinical, clinical and translational studies related to endothelial dysfunction and CVD are welcome for submission to this Special Issue. In addition, experimental and bioinformatics papers and up-to-date review articles related to endothelial function and CVD are also welcome.

Dr. Suowen Xu
Dr. Li Wang
Guest Editors

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