{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T07:51:52Z","timestamp":1791273112347,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":15,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791158400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791158400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Hormones"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Atherosclerosis progresses from endothelial dysfunction to arterial plaque vulnerability, rupture, erosion, and calcification. Vitamin D deficiency is an independent cardiovascular risk factor associated with advanced atherosclerotic disease. This study investigated whether calcitriol (1,25(OH)\u2082D\u2083), the active hormonal form of vitamin D, modulates the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, TIMP-2, MCP-1, RANK, RANKL, and OPG in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Cells were treated with calcitriol alone or in combination with TNF-\u03b1. Gene expression was assessed by qPCR, MCP-1 and OPG protein levels were measured by ELISA, and MMP activity by zymography.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Calcitriol did not significantly affect basal\n                      <jats:italic>MMP-2<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic>MMP-9<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic>TIMP-1<\/jats:italic>\n                      , or\n                      <jats:italic>TIMP-2<\/jats:italic>\n                      expression but reduced\n                      <jats:italic>MCP-1<\/jats:italic>\n                      mRNA at 10\u207b\u2078 M. In TNF-\u03b1-activated cells, pre-incubation of cells with calcitriol decreased\n                      <jats:italic>MMP-9<\/jats:italic>\n                      and\n                      <jats:italic>MCP-1<\/jats:italic>\n                      expression, restored\n                      <jats:italic>TIMP-2<\/jats:italic>\n                      levels, elevated the pro-\/active-MMP-2 ratio and increased\n                      <jats:italic>OPG<\/jats:italic>\n                      mRNA expression, although this transcriptional effect was not accompanied by a corresponding increase in OPG protein levels.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The effects of calcitriol on human aortic endothelial cells suggest that calcitriol modulates inflammatory and extracellular matrix-remodeling markers in TNF-\u03b1-stimulated human aortic endothelial cells. Whether these changes contribute to plaque stability requires confirmation in more complex experimental models.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1007\/s42000-026-00831-x","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T18:15:33Z","timestamp":1791224133000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effects of calcitriol (1,25(OH)\u2082D\u2083) on endothelial-derived factors implicated in atheromatous plaque vulnerability"],"prefix":"10.1007","author":[{"given":"Narjes","family":"Nasiri-Ansari","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aspasia","family":"Rizou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christina-Maria","family":"Flessa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Manpal S.","family":"Randeva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eliana","family":"Spilioti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria-Eleni","family":"Chondrogianni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lisa","family":"Dannenberg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Athanasios G.","family":"Papavassiliou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7491-2297","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eva","family":"Kassi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]]},"reference":[{"issue":"22","key":"831_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2651","DOI":"10.2174\/0929867322666150608093607","volume":"22","author":"E Kassi","year":"2015","unstructured":"Kassi E, Spilioti E, Nasiri-Ansari N, Adamopoulos C, Moutsatsou P, Papapanagiotou A, Siasos G, Tousoulis D, Papavassiliou AG (2015) Vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis: the role of estrogen receptors. 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