Endothelial Autophagy Promotes Atheroprotective Communication Between Endothelial and Smooth Muscle Cells via Exosome-Mediated Delivery of miR-204-5p

Cellular communication among different types of vascular cells is indispensable for maintaining vascular homeostasis and preventing atherosclerosis. However, the biological mechanism involved in cellular communication among these cells and whether this biological mechanism can be used to treat atherosclerosis remain unknown. We hypothesized that endothelial autophagy mediates the cellular communication in vascular tissue through exosome-mediated delivery of atherosclerosis-related genes.