| Summary: | Calcific aortic valve sclerosis is characterized by focal lesions in the valve leaflet. These lesions are rich in myofibroblasts that express α-SMA and cause fibrosis. Lesions tend to occur in regions of the leaflet that are subjected to large bending loads, suggesting a mechanobiological basis for myofibrogenic differentiation and valve pathogenesis. In this thesis, a bioreactor was developed to study the effect of physiological loading on myofibrogenic differentiation of valve interstitial cells. Cyclic loading of native porcine aortic valve leaflets ex vivo resulted in increased α-SMA expression, predominantly in the fibrosa and spongiosa (similar to sclerotic leaflets). Cofilin, an actin-binding protein, was also upregulated by loading, suggesting it plays a role in mechanically-induced myofibrogenesis. Similarly, loading of a tissue engineered aortic valve leaflet model resulted in increased α-SMA transcript and protein expression. These data support an integral role for mechanical stimuli in myofibrogenic differentiation and sclerosis in the aortic valve.
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