Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Sep 4.
Published in final edited form as: Annu Rev Physiol. 2012 Dec 3;75:23–47. doi: 10.1146/annurev-physiol-030212-183802

Figure 5. Essential role of the adventitial fibroblast in initiating and perpetuating vascular inflammation and, consequently, vascular remodeling.

Figure 5

In response to hormonal, infectious, or environmental (hypoxia, hemodynamic stress, etc.) stimuli, the fibroblast is activated and secretes chemokines, cytokines and matricellular proteins involved in the recruitment of monocytes, lymphocytes and progenitor cells. With time, fibroblasts upregulate adhesion molecule expression, which promotes retention of leukocytes and progenitor cells within the adventitia. Some of the newly recruited cells can differentiate into fibroblasts and myofibroblasts, which perpetuate the cycle, thus leading to persistent inflammation and structural vascular remodeling. (PA = pulmonary artery).