Cardiovascular disease is a worldwide epidemic and considered the leading cause of death globally. Due to its high mortality rates, it is imperative to study the underlying causes and mechanisms of the disease. Vascular calcification, or the buildup of hydroxyapatite within the arterial wall, is one of the greatest contributors to cardiovascular disease. Medial vascular calcification is a predictor of cardiovascular events such as, but not limited to, hypertension, stiffness, and even heart failure. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), which line the arterial wall and function to maintain blood pressure, are hypothesized to undergo a phenotypic switch into bone-forming cells during calcification, mimicking the manner by which mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into osteoblast cells throughout osteogenesis. RunX2, a transcription factor necessary for osteoblast differentiation and a target gene of the Wnt signaling pathway, has also shown to be upregulated when calcification is present, implicating that the Wnt cascade may be a key player in the transdifferentiation of VSMCs. It is important to note that the phenotypic switch of VSMCs from a healthy, contractile state to a proliferative, synthetic state is necessary in response to the vascular injury surrounding calcification. The lingering question, however, is if VSMCs acquire this synthetic phenotype through the Wnt pathway, how and why does this signaling occur? This review seeks to highlight the potential role of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway within vascular calcification based on several studies and further discuss the Wnt ligands that specifically aid in VSMC transdifferentiation.

心血管疾病是一种全球流行病，被认为是全球主要的死亡原因。由于其高死亡率，研究该疾病的根本原因和机制势在必行。血管钙化，或动脉壁内羟基磷灰石的堆积，是导致心血管疾病的最大因素之一。内侧血管钙化是心血管事件的预测因子，例如但不限于高血压、僵硬甚至心力衰竭。血管平滑肌细胞 (VSMCs) 排列在动脉壁上并具有维持血压的功能，被假设在钙化过程中经历表型转变为骨形成细胞，模拟间充质干细胞在整个成骨过程中分化为成骨细胞的方式。运行X2，成骨细胞分化所必需的转录因子和 Wnt 信号通路的靶基因，也显示在存在钙化时上调，这意味着 Wnt 级联可能是 VSMC 转分化的关键参与者。重要的是要注意 VSMC 从健康、收缩状态到增殖、合成状态的表型转换是响应钙化周围血管损伤所必需的。然而，挥之不去的问题是，如果 VSMCs 通过 Wnt 途径获得这种合成表型，这种信号是如何以及为什么发生的？本综述旨在基于多项研究强调经典 Wnt 信号通路在血管钙化中的潜在作用，并进一步讨论特别有助于 VSMC 转分化的 Wnt 配体。