Quantitative 3D Analysis of Nitric Oxide Diffusion in a 3D Artery Model Using Sensor Particles

摘要

A blood vessel is crucial not only for circulatory diseases and treatments, but also for the biological evaluation of drug diffusion to target tissues, the penetration of cancer cells or pathogens, and the control of blood pressure. A blood vessel is generally composed of three distinct layers: the intima, an inner single layer of endothelial cells (ECs); the media, medium layers of smooth muscle cells (SMCs); and the adventitia, an outer layer of fibroblast cells. The ECs act as a sensing surface to transduce hydrodynamic forces and chemical stimuli into extracellular signal molecules such as endothelin-1, prostacyclin, and nitric oxide, which affect vascular events such as the contraction and relaxation of SMCs. Nitric oxide (NO), produced by the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) protein family, is a lipophilic, highly diffusible, and short-lived physiological messenger. It is well known that NO regulates a variety of important physiological responses including vasodilation, respiration, cell migration, and apoptosis.