Collagen and Elastin Content in Canine Arteries Selected from Functionally Different Vascular Beds

The amount of collagen and elastin in normal canine arteries was determined biochemically in nine different sites. The total collagen and elastin ranges from 58 to 75% of the weight of the dry defatted artery. Reasons are adduced to propose that the expression of results as the ratio of collagen to elastin (C/E) is a useful index of the relative distensibility for the maintenance tension of arterial wall. Two arteries, carotid and renal, which are pathways to blood pressure sensors, have a statistically significantly higher C/E than the femoral and mesenteric arteries, which are pathways to regulated beds. The highest C/E was found in the coronary artery. Results are interpreted in relation to the function of the vascular beds to which the representative arterial specimens belong.