AUTHOR=Cao Shengchuan , Yuan Qiuhuan , Dong Qianqian , Liu Xilong , Liu Weikang , Zhai Xiaoxuan , Zhang Chuanxin , Liu Han , Tang Mengxiong , Wei Shujian , Chen Yuguo TITLE=Activin receptor-like kinase 7 promotes apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells via activating Smad2/3 signaling in diabetic atherosclerosis JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2022.926433 DOI=10.3389/fphar.2022.926433 ISSN=1663-9812 ABSTRACT=

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is a vital accelerator in the late phase of diabetic atherosclerosis, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The aim of our study was to investigate whether activin receptor-like kinase 7 (ALK7)-Smad2/3 pathway plays an important role in VSMC apoptosis of diabetic atherosclerosis. It was shown that ALK7 expression was obviously elevated in the aorta of ApoE−/− mice with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Inhibition of ALK7 expression significantly improved the stability of atherosclerotic plaques and reduced cell apoptosis. Further experiments showed that ALK7 knockdown stabilized atherosclerotic plaques by reducing VSMC apoptosis via activating Smad2/3. Our study uncovered the important role of ALK7-Smad2/3 signaling in VSMCs apoptosis, which might be a potential therapeutic target in diabetic atherosclerosis.