Atherosclerosis and Mechanical Forces

Atherosclerosis is a degenerative process of the arterial wall, leading to arterial diameter narrowing and lumen occlusion, which result in an inadequate oxygen supply to organs perfused by the affected arteries. Cytoskeletal filaments, distributed throughout the body of endothelial cells, transmit the stress to multiple subcellular sites, where the coupling of mechanical forces to chemical activity occurs. The atherosclerotic process develops within the arterial wall, with the participation of all its components. Fibrous cap atheroma is the first of advanced atherosclerotic lesions and is composed of a lipid-rich necrotic core encapsulated by fibrous tissue. Although the pathophysiological mechanism of the atherosclerotic process is universal, the presence of individual risk factors may modify the disease presentation in each individual patient. Shear stress is the tangential stress created by friction of the flowing blood on the endothelial surface of the arterial wall. Calcified nodules are characterized by nodular calcifications protruding into the lumen through a fibrous cap.