This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bayer, I. M. Articles by Langille, B. L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bayer, I. M. Articles by Langille, B. L. Related Collections Animal models of human disease Apoptosis Carotid Stenosis Physiological and pathological control of gene expression

(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 1999;19:1499-1505.)
© 1999 American Heart Association, Inc.

Atherosclerosis and Lipoproteins

Atrophic Remodeling of the Artery-Cuffed Artery

Ilana M. Bayer; S. Lee Adamson; B. Lowell Langille

From the Toronto Hospital Research Institute (I.M.B., B.L.L.); the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute (S.L.A.), Mount Sinai Hospital; and the Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology (I.M.B., B.L.L.), Physiology (I.M.B., S.L.A.), and Obstetrics and Gynecology (S.L.A., B.L.L.), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Correspondence to B. Lowell Langille, CCRW 1-836, The Toronto Hospital (General Division), 200 Elizabeth St, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C4, Canada. E-mail lowell.langille{at}utoronto.ca

Abstract—Increased arterial wall tension stimulates growth and remodeling of arteries, but little is known about the effects of decreased wall tension, despite its developmental and pathological significance. Consequently, we cuffed 1 carotid artery in rabbits with a portion of the contralateral artery to off-load circumferential wall tension. The model produced rapid and extensive atrophy of the cuffed artery that yielded decreases in the DNA content of the cuffed artery (a measure of cell number) from 8.0±0.5 µg/cm of in situ vessel length to 5.6±0.5 µg/cm at 21 days postoperatively. The elastin content of the cuffed artery was also significantly reduced, from 399±17 to 283±17 µg/cm, and collagen content was reduced from 468.0±59.0 to 154±24 µg/cm (P<0.05) at 21 days postoperatively. Detection of DNA oligonucleosomes by gel electrophoresis implicated apoptotic cell death in remodeling due to cuffing. Upregulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), including MMP-2, MMP-9, and unidentified gelatinases, indicated that these enzymes may also be involved in remodeling. No further changes in wall structure were seen between 3 weeks and 6 months, and the excised artery that was used as a cuff exhibited normal medial morphology for at least 6 months postoperatively. We infer from these experiments that off-loading of arterial wall tension induces rapid and extensive atrophy of the arterial media.

Key Words: apoptosis • extracellular matrix • matrix metalloproteinase • wall tension

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Lehoux and A. Tedgui Making Up and Breaking Up: The Tortuous Ways of the Vascular Wall Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., May 1, 2005; 25(5): 892 - 894. [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Lehoux, C. A. Lemarie, B. Esposito, H. R. Lijnen, and A. Tedgui Pressure-Induced Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Contributes to Early Hypertensive Remodeling Circulation, March 2, 2004; 109(8): 1041 - 1047. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E.-L. Marchand, S. Der Sarkissian, P. Hamet, and D. deBlois Caspase-Dependent Cell Death Mediates the Early Phase of Aortic Hypertrophy Regression in Losartan-Treated Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats Circ. Res., April 18, 2003; 92(7): 777 - 784. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I.-M. o Chung, H. K. Gold, S. M. Schwartz, Y. Ikari, M. A. Reidy, and T. N. Wight Enhanced extracellular matrix accumulation in restenosis of coronary arteries after stent deployment J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., December 18, 2002; 40(12): 2072 - 2081. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Z. S. Jackson, A. I. Gotlieb, and B. L. Langille Wall Tissue Remodeling Regulates Longitudinal Tension in Arteries Circ. Res., May 3, 2002; 90(8): 918 - 925. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. A. Fisher, B. L. Langille, and D. Srivastava Apoptosis During Cardiovascular Development Circ. Res., November 10, 2000; 87(10): 856 - 864. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Walsh, R. C. Smith, and H.-S. Kim Vascular Cell Apoptosis in Remodeling, Restenosis, and Plaque Rupture Circ. Res., August 4, 2000; 87(3): 184 - 188. [Full Text] [PDF]

				B.-S. Tea, S. Der Sarkissian, R. M. Touyz, P. Hamet, and D. deBlois Proapoptotic and Growth-Inhibitory Role of Angiotensin II Type 2 Receptor in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells of Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats In Vivo Hypertension, May 1, 2000; 35(5): 1069 - 1073. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Lemay, P. Hamet, and D. deBlois Losartan-induced apoptosis as a novel mechanism for the prevention of vascular lesion formation after injury Journal of Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System, March 1, 2000; 1(1): 46 - 50. [Abstract] [PDF]

				Z. S. Jackson, A. I. Gotlieb, and B. L. Langille Wall Tissue Remodeling Regulates Longitudinal Tension in Arteries Circ. Res., May 3, 2002; 90(8): 918 - 925. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]