Identifying vascular stiffening-sensitive macrophages through integration of single-cell transcriptomics and imaging flow cytometry

Increased extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness, a hallmark of risk in cardiovascular disease (CVD), is closely associated with inflammation triggered by immune cell infiltration in the vessel wall. While numerous immunotherapies targeting inflammation in CVD are being developed, the specific immune components and key factors that respond to arterial stiffness remain unclear. In this work, we analyzed single-cell transcriptomics to identify immune cell populations sensitive to mechanical stress in stiffened carotid plaques. We utilized an in vitro model of polyacrylamide gels with varying stiffness and an in vivo mouse model of acute calcification to replicate arterial stiffening. An imaging flow cytometry panel was employed to determine specific cell populations and gene expression in response to ECM stiffening. The scRNA-seq analysis revealed that SPP1^high macrophages constitute a prominent myeloid population influencing extracellular matrix composition. We uncovered that macrophages exhibit elevated SPP1 protein levels when cultured on a stiffer matrix. Additionally, the percentage of SPP1^high macrophages increased in the stiffened arterial wall in the mouse model of vascular calcification. Collectively, we combined single-cell transcriptomics analysis with in vitro imaging flow cytometry studies to identify SPP1^high macrophages as a population sensitive to ECM stiffness. Our findings suggest that macrophage SPP1 could serve as a potential biomarker for patients experiencing arterial stiffening.