Abstract (eng)
Vascular calcification, also known as atherosclerosis, is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases, with vessel walls narrowing and hardening due to calcium deposits, which can lead to serious health problems. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of calcification and lipopolysaccharide on the expression of toll-like receptors (TLR) in smooth muscle cells. TLR are part of the innate immune system, but their expression is not restricted to immune cells, they are also expressed by smooth muscle cells. Upon binding of an exogenous or endogenous ligand to the receptor, signaling cascades are triggered that elicit a response from the innate immune system. Subsequently, activation of the adaptive immune system also occurs. For this project, human coronary artery smooth muscle cells were incubated with organic and inorganic phosphate to induce calcification in vitro. To assess a cytotoxic effect of the phosphates used on the cells, proliferation assays were performed with resazurin. Cell number and morphology of the cells were also determined by rapid staining. Alizarin S staining was performed to examine calcifications. To investigate the expression of TLR at the RNA level, RNA was isolated from the cells and analyzed by qPCR. Furthermore, selected TLR were examined for their protein expression by immunofluorescence staining. The results show that both phosphate buffers and lipopolysaccharides have an influence on the gene expression of toll-like receptors in smooth muscle cells. Furthermore, there are also some significant differences between the organic and inorganic phosphate buffers used. However, further research is needed to fully elucidate the influences and molecular mechanisms behind the development and progression of vascular calcifications.