Innate and adaptive immune responses have an essential role in the development and progression of many cardiovascular diseases. The concept of atherosclerosis — the primary cause of coronary artery disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease — as a chronic inflammatory disease is widely accepted. Inflammation is also involved in the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac arrhythmia. Defects in the resolution of inflammation promote the progression to vulnerable plaque in atherosclerosis, and altered immune responses can lead to cardiac remodelling after myocardial infarction. To highlight the importance of the immune system in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases.
The extracellular matrix is the space surrounding the outside of the cell, and is attached to the cell wall using proteins called integrins. Integrins are imbedded into the plasma to offer support to the structure. Hope this helps!
