Exploring the crosstalk between endothelial autophagy and extracellular vesicle biology: Potential role in atherosclerosis

Atherosclerotic lesions mainly form in areas exposed to low shear stress (LSS), where endothelial cells express a senescent and inflammatory phenotype. Endothelial autophagy is a protective process, stimulated under conditions of high shear stress (HSS, 20 dyn/cm2) when compared to LSS (2 dyn/cm2), and hampers the development these lesions. While previous studies have shown links between autophagy and extracellular vesicle (EV) formation, the...