2. Five main characteristics of BSMs regulating cardiovascular diseases
The difficulty in classification comes from our inadequate research on the characteristics of BSMs. In fact, although the specific definition of BSMs remains uncertain, there are many important commonalities between different BSMs. Figure 1 summarizes the five major characteristics of BSMs in cardiovascular disease research, including low molecular weight and simple structure, wide distribution, diverse biological effects, rapid synthesis and metabolism, and low immunogenicity. These five characteristics provide a solid foundation for understanding the biology of BSMs to participate in and maintain homeostasis. In the following part, we will discuss how these characteristics of BSMs affect the occurrence and development of cardiovascular disease.