Abstract: Heart valve fibrosis and calcification are two impartant pathological changes of valvular heart diseases (VHD). The differentiation of valve interstitial cells (VICs) from fibroblast like phenotype to myofibroblast like phenotype or osteoblast like phenotype is considered as the milestone event of the early pathological changes of VHD. Aortic valves are the major target organs in VHD development. In recent years, studies on the differentiation of VICs were mainly focused on aortic valve derived cells. In this paper we summarize the recent findings on the differentiation of VICs, aim to provide a comprehensive background for the development of novel prevention and treatment strategies for VHD.

Key words: heart valve diseases, aortic valve, fibrosis, cell differentiation, calcification, valve interstitial cell