Vascular calcification and cellular signaling pathways as potential therapeutic targets

Increased vascular calcification (VC) is observed in patients with cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. VC is divided into three types according to its location: intimal, medial, and valvular. Various cellular signaling pathways are associated with VC, including the Wnt, mitogen-activated protein kinase, phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/Akt, cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinase, protein kinase C, calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II, adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase/mammalian target of rapamycin, Ras homologous GTPase, apoptosis, Notch, and cytokine signaling pathways. In this review, we discuss the literature concerning the key cellular signaling pathways associated with VC and their role as potential therapeutic targets. Inhibitors to these pathways represent good candidates for use as potential therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of VC.