Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are responsible for controlling the diameter of blood vessels and thus regulate blood flow and pressure. In response to injury, VSMCs can switch from a contractile to a synthetic phenotype. This allows them to proliferate and migrate to the site of injury, where they produce extracellular matrix components that are essential for vessel repair. However, excessive VSMC proliferation can contribute to pathological conditions like atherosclerosis.
