Piezo2 in Mechanosensory Biology: From Physiological Homeostasis to Disease-Promoting Mechanisms.

Piezo2, a mechanically activated ion channel, serves as the key molecular transducer for touch, proprioception and visceral sensation. These mechanosensation processes, where mechanical forces are converted into electrochemical signals, are essential for sensory perception, interoception and systemic homeostasis. Critically, Piezo2 channels are fundamental to diverse physiological functions, such as skeletal growth, respiratory development and inter-organ homeostasis.

Angiopoietins: multifaceted mediators in the pathogenesis of joint-related disorders.

Joint-related diseases often involve multiple aspects of angiogenesis, alterations in the extracellular matrix (ECM), and inflammatory responses, causing pain and mobility problems for patients. Angiopoietins (Angs) are a protein family of secreted growth factors that have a variety of functions, including regulating angiogenesis, stabilizing blood vessels, and mediating changes in the ECM. The first Ang was discovered by Davis in COS cells, and since then, three more members of this protein family have been discovered.

Irisin in atherosclerosis.

Irisin, a novel exercise-induced myokine, has been shown to play important roles in increasing white adipose tissue browning, regulating energy metabolism and improving insulin resistance. Growing evidence suggests a direct role for irisin in preventing atherosclerosis (AS) by inhibiting oxidative stress, improving dyslipidemia, facilitating anti-inflammation, reducing cellular damage and recovering endothelial function. In addition, some studies have noted that serum irisin levels play an essential role in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) risk prediction, highlighting that irisin has the potential to be a useful predictive marker and therapeutic target of AS, especially in monitoring therapeutic efficacy.

Angiopoietin-like proteins in atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis, as a chronic inflammatory disease within the arterial wall, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide due to its role in myocardial infarction, stroke and peripheral artery disease. Additional evidence is emerging that the angiopoietin-like (ANGPTL) family of proteins participate in the pathology of this disease process via endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, dyslipidemia, calcification, foam cell formation and platelet activation. This review summarizes current knowledge on the ANGPTL family of proteins in atherosclerosis related pathological processes.

Chemerin in atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis (AS), a chronic arterial disease, is characterized by endothelial dysfunction, inflammatory reactions and lipid accumulation in parallel with aberrant angiogenesis and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation. Adipose tissue has been suggested to have an integral influence on metabolism and endocrine secretion, while there have been increasing concerns about the possible involvement of adipokines in cardiovascular diseases, including AS. Here, we focused on chemerin, an adipokine highly expressed in adipose tissue, with strong evidence of an association with inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, metabolic disorder, aberrant angiogenesis, VSMC proliferation and calcification.

Oxidative stress in vascular calcification.

Vascular calcification (VC), which is closely associated with significant mortality in cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and/or diabetes mellitus, is characterized by abnormal deposits of hydroxyapatite minerals in the arterial wall. The impact of oxidative stress (OS) on the onset and progression of VC has not been well described. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidases, xanthine oxidases, myeloperoxidase (MPO), nitric oxide synthases (NOSs), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and paraoxonases (PONs) are relevant factors that influence the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Adipokines in vascular calcification.

Adipose tissue (AT), a critical endocrine gland, is capable of producing and secreting abundant adipokines. Adipokines act on distant or adjacent organ tissues via paracrine, autocrine, and endocrine mechanism, which play attractive roles in the regulation of glycolipid metabolism and inflammatory response. Increasing evidence shows that adipokines can connect obesity with cardiovascular diseases by serving as promoters or inhibitors in vascular calcification.