Vascular smooth muscle calcium handling machinery (VSMC Ca2+ machinery)

The vascular smooth muscle calcium handling machinery is a complex network of proteins responsible for regulating intracellular calcium concentrations ([Ca2+]i), which is the primary determinant of vascular tone and peripheral resistance (Touyz et al., 2018). This machinery includes plasma membrane components like L-type voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) and transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, as well as sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) elements such as ryanodine receptors (RyRs) and inositol trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) (Berridge, 2008). Calcium removal is mediated by the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) and the sodium-calcium exchanger (NCX) (StatPearls, 2023). Dysregulation of this system leads to pathological vasoconstriction and is a hallmark of cardiovascular diseases like hypertension and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Pharmacological modulation of these components, particularly through calcium channel blockers, is a cornerstone of antihypertensive therapy (PubMed, 2021).

Other names

VSMC calcium signalingVascular smooth muscle calcium homeostasisCalcium handling proteinsVascular calcium signaling pathway

Inhibition of L-type voltage-gated calcium channels; modulation of sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium release and sequestration; activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase to promote calcium efflux.