Cancer-Like Proliferation of Smooth Muscle Cells in Atherosclerosis As an atherosclerotic plaque grows into a hotspot of inflammation and cell dysfunction in a blood vessel wall, it starts to draw in the nearby vascular smooth muscle cells that wrap the outside of the vessel. As researchers here note, these smooth muscle cells are altered by the plaque environment in ways that are analogous to the behavior of cancerous cells. They change, multiply, and accelerate the growth of a fatty plaque that will eventually rupture to cause a stroke or heart attack by blocking a downstream blood vessel. Atherosclerosis is the major cause of heart attacks and stroke around the world and occurs when fat deposits build up inside the arteries. Atherosclerosis can be reduced with a healthy diet or drugs called statins that […]
https://www.fightaging.org/arc....hives/2024/05/cancer