STUDY OF CENTRAL CARBON METABOLISM OF ENDOTHELIAL CELLS IN NORMAL AND PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS

Endothelial dysfunction is a primary factor in the onset and progression of atherosclerosis and other vascular related diseases as well as in the thrombus formation and stabilization. Not just the size but rather the stability of atherosclerotic plaques is a determinant for acute clinical implications. Emerging evidences indicate that pathological blood vessel responses and dysfunctionality of Endothelial Cells (ECs) are associated with metabolic alterations in ECs. Preliminary data from our group have suggested that ECs derived from patients show an altered hyperproliferative phenotype and a resistance to apoptosis when compared to controls. In this study we aim to establish an in vitro model of endothelial pathology, using patient-derived endothelial cell lines which are subjected to a systematic evaluation against control cells in order to determine the metabolic profile and to understand if endothelial dysfunctionality is a consequence of an abnormal endothelial cell metabolism. The endothelial cell lines are studied in terms of morphology, proliferation and metabolic profiling