Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Plasticity in Atherosclerosis: From Macrophage-like Transdifferentiation to Therapeutic Targeting
Atherosclerosis remains the leading cause of cardiovascular mortality worldwide. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were long regarded as passive structural elements of the arterial wall, but they are now recognized as highly plastic cells capable of transdifferentiating into macrophage-like cells (MLCs). This conver...