Cardiovascular diseases constitute the largest of death in developed countries, being
atherosclerosis the major contributor.
Atherosclerosis is a process of chronic
inflammation, characterized by the accumulation of
lipids, cells, and fibrous elements in medium and large arteries. There is a continuum in atherosclerotic cardiovascular pathology that extends from the initial endothelial damage to diseases such as angina,
myocardial infarction, and
stroke. The extent of
inflammation, proteolysis, calcification, and neovascularization influences the development of advanced lesions (
atheroma plaques) on the arteries. Plaque
rupture and the ensuing
thrombosis cause the acute complications of
atherosclerosis, i.e.,
myocardial infarction and
cerebral ischemia. Thus, identification of early
biomarkers of plaque unstability and susceptibility to
rupture is of capital importance in preventing acute events. In recent years proteomics has been successfully applied to study
proteins involved in these
pathological processes. Thus, proteomic studies have been carried out focusing on different elements such as vascular tissues (arteries), artery layers, cells looking at
proteomes and secretomes, plasma/serum, exosomes,
lipoproteins, and metabolites. This chapter will provide an overview of latest advances in proteomic studies of
atherosclerosis and related
vascular diseases.