The aging of the vasculature plays a crucial role in the pathological progression of various vascular aging-related diseases. As endothelial cells (ECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are essential parts in the inner and medial layers of vessel wall, respectively, the structural and functional alterations of ECs and VSMCs are the major causes of vascular aging. Milk fat globule-epidermal growth factor 8 (MFG-E8) is a multifunctional glycoprotein which exerts a regulatory role in the intercellular interactions involved in a variety of biological and pathological processes. Emerging evidence suggests that MFG-E8 is a novel and outstanding modulator for vascular aging via targeting at ECs and VSMCs. In this review, we will summarise the cumulative roles and mechanisms of MFG-E8 in vascular aging and vascular aging-related diseases with special emphasis on the functions of ECs and VSMCs. In addition, we also aim to focus on the promising diagnostic function as a biomarker and the potential therapeutic application of MFG-E8 in vascular aging and the clinical evaluation of vascular aging-related diseases.

脉管系统的衰老在各种与血管衰老相关的疾病的病理进展中起着至关重要的作用。由于内皮细胞（EC）和血管平滑肌细胞（VSMC）分别是血管壁内层和内层的重要组成部分，因此EC和VSMC的结构和功能改变是血管衰老的主要原因。乳脂球-表皮生长因子8（MFG-E8）是一种多功能糖蛋白，在涉及多种生物学和病理学过程的细胞间相互作用中发挥调节作用。新兴证据表明，MFG-E8是针对血管内皮细胞和血管平滑肌细胞的新型且出色的血管衰老调节剂。在这篇评论中 我们将总结MFG-E8在血管衰老和与血管衰老相关的疾病中的累积作用和机制，特别着重于EC和VSMC的功能。此外，我们还致力于将有前景的作为生物标志物的诊断功能以及MFG-E8在血管衰老中的潜在治疗应用以及与血管衰老相关的疾病的临床评估中。