Molecular Basis Of Cardiovascular Disease

Physicians relied on descriptive studies of the gross and histopathological changes in diseased human cardiovascular organs, discovered meticulously by cardiovascular pathologists, to provide insight into the pathogenesis of infectious, inflammatory, immunological, and degenerative cardiovascular diseases. These studies revealed that the tissue response to disease is characterized by a marked accumulation of cardiovascular cells associated with inflammation, neovascularization, matrix production, eventually fibrosis, and in some cases calcification. Mechanistic studies on cardiovascular structure and function are being performed in a new era of innovative heart and blood vessel investigation that is transforming the study of cardiovascular pathobiology from static histopathology research to dynamic mechanistic cell and molecular biology investigation. More recently, populations of cells have been identified and isolated in humans that are both renewable and may differentiate along different cardiovascular pathways to participate in cardiovascular repair. These bring hope to be able to repair tissue and restore normal function using cell therapy and tissue engineering approaches. Several important concepts have emerged as the molecular biology of cardiovascular disease is investigated; some of them are: cells of the cardiovascular system have unique properties; cell function is regulated by the combined actions of specific molecules, some that promote and others that inhibit a cellular process. It is the balance between the bioactivity of all these molecules that dictates the function of the cell at any given moment in time; and depending on conditions, the same molecule may both promote or inhibit a given cellular function, generally by directly or indirectly acting on signaling molecules that regulate different pathways. This chapter provides an overview of the molecular basis of cardiovascular disease.