Molecular mechanisms underlying the inhibitory effect of uniaxial cyclic stretch on endothelial cell migration

Vascular endothelial cells in large arteries are constantly subjected to uniaxial cyclic stretch in vivo as a result of blood pressure's pulsatile nature. This thesis research aimed to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the inhibitory effect of uniaxial cyclic stretch on endothelial cell migration in a wound healing scenario and with different wound directionalities. Our results showed that cyclic stretch decreased the migration speed in wounds with both long axes perpendicular and parallel to the stretch direction. This decrease in migration speed was significantly greater in perpendicular wounds than in parallel wounds, a finding that explains the potential importance of selective surgical incision directionalities to promote faster vascular wound healing.