Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Neutral Sphingomyelinase 2 in the Release of Exosomes and Vascular Calcification.

Vascular calcification (VC) is the pathological precipitation of calcium salts in the walls of blood vessels. It is a risk factor for cardiovascular events and their associated mortality. VC can be observed in a variety of cardiovascular diseases and is most prominent in diseases that are associated with dysregulated mineral homeostasis such as in chronic kidney disease.