Home › Research › Prevention and risk
Arterial stiffness and vascular aging: mechanisms, prevention, and therapy
Herzog MJ, Müller P, Lechner K, Stiebler M, Arndt P, Kunz M, Ahrens D, Schmeißer A et al.. Signal transduction and targeted therapy, 2025-09-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The central underlying mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases are vascular aging and associated arterial stiffness. Arterial stiffness is characterized by structural (e.g., tunica media calcification, alterations in vascular smooth muscle cells, and fibrosis) and functional (e.g., loss of Windkessel function, elevated pulse pressure, and development of isolated systolic hypertension) vascular changes that cause microvascular dysfunction and end-organ damage (e.g., heart failure, vascular dementia, hypertensive retinopathy, and chronic kidney disease). Current research indicates that arterial stiffness is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and represents a potential target for personalized prevention and therapeutic approaches. In this review, we summarize the pathophysiological mechanisms of vascular aging and arterial stiffness, outline the resulting end-organ damage, present different methods for the measurement of arterial stiffness, highlight the potential role of prevention and therapy, and provide future perspectives for arterial stiffness research. The purpose of this review is to provide a state-of-the-art interdisciplinary and translational approach to arterial stiffness, highlighting unique pathophysiological mechanisms (e.g., perivascular adipose tissue, extracellular vesicles), clinical relevance, and future directions.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Herzog, M. J., Müller, P., Lechner, K., Stiebler, M., Arndt, P., Kunz, M., et al. (2025). Arterial stiffness and vascular aging: mechanisms, prevention, and therapy. Signal transduction and targeted therapy. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-025-02346-0
Vancouver
Herzog MJ, Müller P, Lechner K, Stiebler M, Arndt P, Kunz M, et al. Arterial stiffness and vascular aging: mechanisms, prevention, and therapy. Signal transduction and targeted therapy. 2025. doi:10.1038/s41392-025-02346-0. PMID: 40887468.
BibTeX
@article{herzog2025-40887468,
author = {Herzog, M. J. and Müller, P. and Lechner, K. and Stiebler, M. and Arndt, P. and Kunz, M. and Ahrens, D. and Schmeißer, A. and others},
title = {{Arterial stiffness and vascular aging: mechanisms, prevention, and therapy}},
journal = {Signal transduction and targeted therapy},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1038/s41392-025-02346-0},
pmid = {40887468},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-025-02346-0}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Current research indicates that arterial stiffness is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and represents a potential target for personalized prevention and therapeutic approaches.
Why it matters
This review describes arterial stiffness as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and a potential target for personalised prevention and therapy, and lists vascular dementia among the types of end-organ damage it can cause. It is a review of mechanisms and does not report any trial showing that reducing arterial stiffness prevents dementia.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Prevention →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 54/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Signal transduction and targeted therapy) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy: journal h-index 289 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 189 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 63.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 122.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 189 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Ruediger Christian Braun-Dullaeus: h-index 50 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Helmholtz Munich: institution h-index 892 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 7 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40887468) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 54 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1038/s41392-025-02346-0
- PubMed: 40887468
- Original source →
- Free full text: Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Related studies in Prevention and risk
Also in Prevention and risk
265 studies in the library are filed under Prevention and risk with no topic tag they share with another; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed tour of them. The Prevention and risk hub.