Eur Respir J 2007; 30:364-372
Copyright ©ERS Journals Ltd 2007
The effects of hypoxia on the cells of the pulmonary vasculature
O. Pak,
A. Aldashev,
D. Welsh and
A. Peacock
Scottish Pulmonary Vascular Unit, Western Infirmary, Glasgow, UK.
CORRESPONDENCE: A. Peacock, Scottish Pulmonary Vascular Unit, Level 8, Western Infirmary, Dumbarton Road, Glasgow, G11 6NT, UK. Fax: 44 1412116334. E-mail: apeacock{at}udcf.gla.ac.uk
Keywords: Endothelial cells, fibroblast, hypoxia, proliferation, remodelling, smooth muscle cells
Received: October 3, 2006
Accepted March 1, 2007
Pulmonary hypertension is associated with remodelling of pulmonary vessels. Chronic hypoxia is a common cause of pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary vascular remodelling. Vascular remodelling is characterised largely by fibroblast, smooth muscle and endothelial cell proliferation, which results in lumen obliteration. Chronic hypoxia elicits expression of mitogens, growth factors and cytokines by fibroblasts and endothelial cells, and also the suppression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase. Although hypoxic pulmonary vascular remodelling is associated with medial hypertrophy, many in vitro studies have found that hypoxia does not lead to a direct increase in smooth muscle cell proliferation. This paradox is not well understood and this review aims to examine the various reasons why this might be so. The present authors reviewed data from in vitro studies and also considered whether hypoxia could act on adjacent cells such as fibroblasts and endothelial cells to trigger smooth muscle cell proliferation. It is possible that hypoxia is sensed by fibroblasts, endothelial cells, or both, and relayed to adjacent pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells by intercellular signalling, causing proliferation.
The present article reviews the data from in vitro studies of hypoxia on the three cellular components of the pulmonary vascular wall, namely endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts.
This article has been cited by other articles:

|
 |

|
 |
 
T. Stuber, C. Sartori, M. Schwab, P.-Y. Jayet, S. F. Rimoldi, S. Garcin, S. Thalmann, H. Spielvogel, C. S. Salmon, M. Villena, et al.
Exaggerated Pulmonary Hypertension During Mild Exercise in Chronic Mountain Sickness
Chest,
February 1, 2010;
137(2):
388 - 392.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
B. Chen, A. E. Calvert, H. Cui, and L. D. Nelin
Hypoxia promotes human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell proliferation through induction of arginase
Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol,
December 1, 2009;
297(6):
L1151 - L1159.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
K. T. B. Mouchaers, I. Schalij, A. M. G. Versteilen, A. M. Hadi, G. P. van Nieuw Amerongen, V. W. M. van Hinsbergh, P. E. Postmus, W. J. van der Laarse, and A. Vonk-Noordegraaf
Endothelin receptor blockade combined with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition increases right ventricular mitochondrial capacity in pulmonary arterial hypertension
Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol,
July 1, 2009;
297(1):
H200 - H207.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. Negash, S. R. Narasimhan, W. Zhou, J. Liu, F. L. Wei, J. Tian, and J. U. Raj
Role of cGMP-dependent protein kinase in regulation of pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cell adhesion and migration: effect of hypoxia
Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol,
July 1, 2009;
297(1):
H304 - H312.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
B Wojciak-Stothard
New drug targets for pulmonary hypertension: Rho GTPases in pulmonary vascular remodelling
Postgrad. Med. J.,
July 1, 2008;
84(993):
348 - 353.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
Y. Dempsie, I. Morecroft, D. J. Welsh, N. A. MacRitchie, N. Herold, L. Loughlin, M. Nilsen, A. J. Peacock, A. Harmar, M. Bader, et al.
Converging Evidence in Support of the Serotonin Hypothesis of Dexfenfluramine-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension With Novel Transgenic Mice
Circulation,
June 3, 2008;
117(22):
2928 - 2937.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|
Copyright © 2007 by the European Respiratory Society.
|
|