A-10 cells are often utilized in medical research because smooth muscle cells are sometimes implicated in the development of various diseases and conditions. For example, an increase in smooth muscle cell size and the number of cells present in a given location have been suggested as a possible causes of hypertension, better known as high-blood pressure. According to this theory, the extra smooth muscle in the arterial walls could result in a corresponding amplification of the constrictive capacity of the artery as well as increase the thickness of the wall of the blood vessel. Both of these events could effectively constrict the artery's lumen and subsequently decrease the amount of blood flow. To counteract such an increased resistance to the flow of blood, the cardiovascular system would likely respond by raising blood pressure in order to ensure that sufficient supplies of blood were capable of reaching the many tissues of the body.

The adherent culture of rat aorta cells featured in the digital image above was immunofluorescently labeled with primary anti-vinculin mouse monoclonal antibodies followed by goat anti-mouse Fab heavy and light chain fragments conjugated to Cy3 (red fluorescence emission). In addition, the specimen was simultaneously stained for DNA with the ultraviolet-absorbing probe DAPI, and for the cytoskeletal filamentous actin network with Alexa Fluor 488 conjugated to phalloidin. Images were recorded in grayscale with a QImaging Retiga Fast-EXi camera system coupled to an Olympus BX-51 microscope equipped with bandpass emission fluorescence filter optical blocks provided by Omega Optical. During the processing stage, individual image channels were pseudocolored with RGB values corresponding to each of the fluorophore emission spectral profiles.