Biology of Vascular Smooth Muscle: Vasoconstriction and Dilatation

This book provides a concise yet comprehensive review of the morphological, biochemical, electrical, mechanical, and metabolic properties of vascular smooth muscle, the regulation of vascular activities and the intracellular signaling involved. It particularly focuses on recently identified vasoactive agents, enzymes and transduction mechanisms. It also discusses the latest findings in the regulation of cerebral, coronary and pulmonary circulation as well as vascular activity under hypoxia and ageing. The contraction and dilatation activities of vasculature are of fundamental importance for maintaining circulation homeostasis and adapting physiological changes. Over the last four decades, there have been significant advances in our understanding of the biochemical, structural, genetic, physiological, and pharmacological aspects of vascular activity regulation, and these insights into the responsiveness of blood vessels under normal and pathophysiological conditions help to provide valuable weapons in the fight vascular diseases. The book is of interest to researchers and graduate students, both in basic research and in clinic settings, in the field of vascular biology.

Dr. Yuansheng Gao is a professor at the Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology at Peking University Health Science Center, and an honorary professor at the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy at the University of Hong Kong's Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine. He has been a member of the Asian Society for Vascular Biology council since 2005 and the review editor for the journal 'Frontiers in Vascular Physiology' since 2011. He has been involved in research on the signaling transduction in vascular smooth muscle cells for more than 20 years, and has published over 90 original research and review articles in this field.