Effect of shock wave exposure on endothelial cytoskeleton

Abstract

Excessive mechanical stretches induce pathological effects including mitochondrial dysfunctions. Among the mitochondrial dysfunctions, alteration of mitochondria morphology has been observed in endothelial cells. Shock waves are used in various medical applications. However, side effects including mitochondria damaging have been reported. Actin cytoskeletons physically link to mitochondria and involve in mechanical stretch induced mitochondrial morphology alterations. Furthermore, shock wave irradiation induced intracellular Ca²⁺ increase is largely affected by state of actin cytoskeleton polymerization. To understand how shock wave irradiation damage mitochondria, alterations in cytoskeletons were observed in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). In this study, actin cytoskeletons were visualized with fluorescence proteins. Alterations in actin cytoskeletons were compared with shock wave irradiation conditions such as peak pressure and irradiation shot numbers.