Open AccessRelative Contributions of Age and Atherosclerosis to Vascular Stiffness
Author(s) -
Santelices Linda C.,
Rutman Sarah J.,
PrantilBaun Rachelle,
Vorp David A.,
Ahearn Joseph M.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
clinical and translational science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.303
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1752-8062
pISSN - 1752-8054
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-8062.2008.00014.x
Subject(s) - elastin , medicine , arterial stiffness , apolipoprotein e , stiffness , thickening , cardiology , endocrinology , pathology , chemistry , disease , blood pressure , materials science , polymer science , composite material
To determine the relative contributions of aging and atherosclerosis to vascular stiffness, we studied aortic stiffness, plaque, and elastin in 8‐, 16‐, 25‐, and 34‐week‐old male ApoE‐KO and C57BL/6J control mice (N = 48). Stiffness increased gradually in both strains up to 25 weeks (p < 0.05), and dramatically between 25 and 34 weeks in ApoE‐KO (p < 0.001). Aging ApoE‐KO demonstrated increased plaque (p = 0.02), medial thickening (p < 0.001), and severe elastin fragmentation (p < 0.001). We conclude that the contribution of aging to vascular stiffness is relatively minor compared with the influence of atherosclerosis. However, the effect of atherosclerosis on stiffness is significant only with advanced stages of plaque formation.