Aortic Valve Sclerosis in Mice Deficient in Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase

What is the sequence of events in the formation of fibrosis and calcification in aortic valves, and what role does endothelium-derived nitric oxide play in these pathways? Listen as Associate Editor Ajay Shah interviews lead author Robert Weiss (University of Iowa) and expert Jane Leopold (Brigham and Women's Hospital) about the innovative and novel work by El Accaoui et al. With a unique combination of in vitro co-culture and in vivo knockout mouse studies, Weiss and colleagues seek to shed light on a clinically-relevant and increasingly important question: when does aortic sclerosis begin and how can it be treated before aortic stenosis develops?

Ramzi N. El Accaoui, Sarah T. Gould, Georges P. Hajj, Yi Chu, Melissa K. Davis, Diane C. Kraft, Donald D. Lund, Robert M. Brooks, Hardik Doshi, Kathy A. Zimmerman, William Kutschke, Kristi S. Anseth, Donald D. Heistad, Robert M. Weiss Aortic valve sclerosis in mice deficient in endothelial nitric oxide synthase Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, published May 1, 2014. DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00392.2013.