As life expectancy has risen, there has been a growing focus on the importance of research on chronic cardiovascular-related diseases (arterial stiffness, atherosclerosis, angina, etc.) and their risk factors. These risk factors are not only indicators of mortality for patients with these diseases, but also cause considerable ill-health in those patients who survive.

The vascular endothelium plays a critical role in the health of blood vessels. In healthy individuals, the endothelium plays an important role in vascular contractility and maintenance of homeostasis by releasing various factors (endothelin 1, nitric oxide, angiotensin II, prostacyclin, etc.). However, in patients with increased inflammation, such as those with autoimmune disease, sepsis, and dysregulation of inflammasomes, these factors may alter the vascular endothelium’s properties and accelerate pathological remodeling. Vascular smooth muscle is also important with regard to mediating inflammation. It contributes to the inflammatory response by activating specific receptors, resulting in the release of proinflammatory cytokines. There is therefore a complex relationship between inflammation and modification of vascular function, and further research into how inflammation affects the dysfunction of the vascular system is still needed. Recently, research has investigated whether new therapeutic targets—including stem cells and the gut microbiota—could modulate inflammatory pathways. It is therefore important to reconsider vascular function in inflammatory states and to investigate potential options for modifying this functionality.

This special issue invites submissions discussing altered vascular function in inflammatory states and potential new therapeutic options. Both original research and review articles are welcome, addressing all topics related to molecular, behavioral, and clinical aspects of subject.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Inflammation and cardiovascular disease (arterial stiffness, atherosclerosis, angina, etc.)
• Inflammatory related factors (cytokines, extracellular vesicles, inflammasomes, etc.) and vascular endothelial or smooth muscle
• Autoimmune disease-associated vascular function
• Vascular function in specific circumstances with an increased risk of inflammation (e.g., diabetes mellitus, aging, obesity, sepsis, increased oxidative stress, and using stents)
• Pathophysiological approaches for investigating vascular function in inflammatory states (e.g., omics, molecular, behavior, or clinical based approach)
• New therapeutic targets for inflammatory-state cardiovascular diseases, such as stem cell therapy and gut microbiota
• Imaging modalities for the assessment of vascular function