Abstract:Intercellular gap junction (GJ) plays a pivotal role in the proliferation and transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). This study was designed to test the hypothesis that expressions of the component proteins of gap junctions, connexins40 and 43 (Cx40 and Cx43), are up-regulated in arteries subjected to balloon injury and that this up-regulation can be suppressed by statin therapy. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that there were abundant GJ between neointimal SMCs but fewer and s… Show more
Set email alert for when this publication receives citations?
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.