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Alignment of Endothelial Cells in the Direction of Flow in Porcine Coronary Arteries
Author(s) -
LaMack Jeffrey A,
Himburg Heather A,
Friedman Morton H
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.20.4.a652-c
Subject(s) - coronary arteries , circumflex , anatomy , medicine , cardiology , artery
Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether the tendency of endothelial cells to align with flow, which has been observed in various other major arteries and in vitro, also holds true in the coronary arteries of swine. Methods Porcine hearts were harvested immediately following sacrifice and fixed by immersion in formalin. The left anterior descending, left circumflex, and right coronary arteries were dissected, cleaned, and opened along an axis corresponding to the presumed prevailing direction of flow in the arteries. Immunofluorescence images of cell borders or photomicrographs of silver stained arteries were analyzed using custom‐designed software to evaluate cellular orientation and elongation properties. Results It was found that cells elongate and align in a locally favored direction in these arteries. The preferred direction, which may reflect local flow patterns, varies smoothly along both the circumference and axis of the vessels. In the entrance regions of the left arteries, cells elongated less and oriented more heterogeneously within a given image field. Conclusions Beyond an entrance region in which flow is likely not yet fully developed, it was found that endothelial cells elongate and align with the presumed direction of flow in the major porcine coronary arteries. Supported by NIH grant H50442 and a Whitaker Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.