Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells (ASMC)

The aorta is the main artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it splits into two smaller arteries. The aorta distributes oxygenated blood to all parts of the body through the systemic circulation. Smooth muscle cells are connected to each other, to form a tubular structure or a hollow organ. They can produce continuous contraction or tonic contraction, make organs against the load while maintaining the original shape. Findings suggest that COX-2 and mPGES-1 -dependent synthesis of PGE2 contributes to a de-differentiated human aortic smooth muscle cells (ASMC) phenotype and that mPGES-1 may provide a novel pharmacological target for treatment of cardiovascular diseases where altered ASMC differentiation has a causative role. Cultured ASMC  play an important role in vascular disease research and can be used to identify new therapeutic targets to treat arterial disease.