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Augmented Responses to Vasoconstrictor Stimuli in Hypercholesterolemic and Atherosclerotic Monkeys
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Augmented Responses to Vasoconstrictor Stimuli in Hypercholesterolemic and Atherosclerotic Monkeys

Donald Heistad, Mark Armstrong, Melvin Marcus, Donald Piegors and Allyn Mark
Circulation research, Vol.54(6), pp.711-718
06/1984
DOI: 10.1161/01.RES.54.6.711
PMID: 6733866
url
https://doi.org/10.1161/01.RES.54.6.711View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

We examined effects of hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis on vasoconstrictor responses to norepinephrine and serotonin. Responses were compared in normal, atherosclerotic, and hypercholesterolemic but non-atherosclerotic cynomolgus monkeys. The hindlimb was per fused at constant flow so that changes in perfusion pressure indicated changes in vascular resistance. We measured the pressure gradient from the iliac to the dorsal pedal artery so that responses of the large artery segment could be determined. Serotonin decreased total hindlimb resistance in normal and hypercholesterolemic monkeys, but increased total resistance in athero sclerotic monkeys. There was a greater than 10-fold increase in constrictor responses of large arteries to serotonin in atherosclerotic monkeys, compared with normal and hypercholesterolemic monkeys. In contrast, we found that vasoconstrictor responses tc norepinephrine are normal in atherosclerotic monkeys and increased in hypercholesterolemic monkeys prior to development of atherosclerosis. Hypercholesterolemia augmented responses of small vessels to norepinephrine. We conclude that, during early stages of hypercholesterolemia in cynomolgus monkeys, vasocon strictor responses to norepinephrine are increased in small vessels. At a later stage, as atheroscle rosis develops, responses to norepinephrine return to normal, but vasoconstrictor effects of large arteries to serotonin are greatly potentiated.

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