Making up or breaking up: the tortuous role of platelet-derived growth factor in vascular ageing.

1. Ageing has long been recognized as an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases, contributing to high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Age-associated remodelling of the vascular wall includes luminal enlargement, intimal and medial thickening and vascular stiffness. 2. A growing body of evidence has indicated that the migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) play a pivotal role in the pathophysiological vascular ageing process. Both experimental and clinical evidence implicates platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) as having an essential role in the proliferation of VSMC, an early pathological feature of arteriosclerosis and vascular ageing. 3. In the present review, we summarize some of the recent progress made with regard to defining the role of PDGF in the proliferation of VSMC and vascular ageing, with an emphasis on the cell signalling mechanisms involved.