Theses and Dissertations
Issuing Body
Mississippi State University
Advisor
Simpson, Chartrisa LaShan
Committee Member
Elder, Steven H.
Committee Member
Liao, Jun
Committee Member
Howell, George Eli, III
Date of Degree
12-11-2015
Document Type
Graduate Thesis - Open Access
Major
Biomedical Engineering
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.)
College
James Worth Bagley College of Engineering
Department
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Abstract
Medial calcification refers to mineral deposition in the middle layer of arteries. This mineralization is common in chronic kidney disease patients and causes an increased chance of cardiovascular complications. Calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, is often administered to these patients to treat an associated condition, secondary hyperparathyroidism. Unfortunately, calcitriol treatment may promote vascular calcification due to increasing serum calcium and phosphate. We examined the effects of calcitriol supplementation on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) calcification, through atomic absorption, scanning electron microscopy, and western blot analysis. Additionally, we examined the effects of the combinations of calcitriol, fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23), and klotho. We determined that calcitriol supplementation alone increased calcification but was not associated with a transition towards an osteoblast-like phenotype. On the other hand, the combination of calcitriol and FGF-23 caused a decrease in calcification, but this decrease was attenuated with the further addition of klotho.
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/11668/19609
Recommended Citation
Bennett, Kevin Andrew, "Examination of the Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on the In Vitro Calcification of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells" (2015). Theses and Dissertations. 2098.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/2098