Publication Name	World Journal of Cardiology
Manuscript ID	117277
Country	Italy

Category	Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Manuscript Type	Editorial
Article Title	Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4 as a proteomic hub in vascular remodeling and residual cardiovascular risk
Manuscript Source	Invited Manuscript
All Author List	Davide Ramoni, Federico Carbone, Luca Liberale and Fabrizio Montecucco
Funding Agency and Grant Number
Corresponding Author	Fabrizio Montecucco, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV 6, Genoa 16132, Italy. fabrizio.montecucco@unige.it
Key Words	Atherothrombosis; Biomarkers; Endothelial dysfunction; Precision cardiology; Proteomics; Residual cardiovascular risk; Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4; Vascular smooth muscle cells
Core Tip	Proteomics is reshaping cardiovascular medicine by revealing network-level molecular mechanisms underlying myocardial infarction and atherothrombosis. Among emerging targets, mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4 (SMAD4), a central mediator of transforming growth factor-β/bone morphogenetic protein signaling, has gained attention as an interesting regulator linking disturbed flow, inflammation, fibrosis, and vascular remodeling across endothelial and smooth muscle cells. Although not yet supported by large randomized trials, SMAD4 represents a proteomic network hub that may complement established biomarkers such as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Integrated within multi-protein signatures and artificial intelligence-based models, SMAD4 may contribute to improved prediction of residual cardiovascular risk and precision phenotyping.
Citation	Ramoni D, Carbone F, Liberale L, Montecucco F. Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4 as a proteomic hub in vascular remodeling and residual cardiovascular risk. World J Cardiol 2026; In press

Received	2025-12-04 00:39
Peer-Review Started	2025-12-04 00:39
First Decision by Editorial Office Director	2025-12-12 09:06
Return for Revision	2025-12-12 09:06
Revised	2025-12-24 02:22
Publication Fee Transferred
Second Decision by Editor	2026-01-14 02:38
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-01-14 09:54
Articles in Press	2026-01-14 09:54
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	1949-8462 (online)
Open Access	This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Copyright	©The Author(s) 2026. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Permissions	For details, please visit: http://www.wjgnet.com/bpg/gerinfo/207
Publisher	Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
Website	http://www.wjgnet.com