Hemodynamic modification of aortic atherosclerosis. Effects of propranolol vs hydralazine in hypertensive hyperlipidemic rabbits.
According to hemodynamic theories of atherogenesis, atherosclerotic plaques are a reaction to endothelial damage caused by arterial flow disturbances such as turbulence. Earlier studies showed that hydralazine increased, whereas propranolol decreased, the product of heart rate X blood velocity, a predictor of arterial flow disturbances, and that hydralazine aggravated, whereas propranolol decreased turbulence in the region of carotid artery stenosis. This study was done to test the hypothesis that drugs which reduce arterial flow disturbances may be more effective in preventing atherosclerosis, than antihypertensive drugs which worsen arterial flow disturbances. Eighty-three New Zealand white rabbits were made hypertensive by a one-kidney Goldblatt procedure, and were fed a 1% cholesterol diet. Untreated hypertensive (P less than 0.01) and hydralazine-treated hypertensive rabbits (P less than 0.05) had significantly more atherosclerosis than did the normotensive controls; propranolol-treated rabbits did not differ significantly from the normotensive controls. Analysis of covariance showed that propranolol-treated rabbits had significantly less atherosclerosis than hydralazine-treated rabbits with blood pressure (P less than 0.04) or heart rate (P less than 0.006) as the covariates.
D000818:Animals; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects*; D006830:Hydralazine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000150:complications*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications*; D011433:Propranolol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011817:Rabbits
D006830:Hydralazine; D002784:Cholesterol; D011433:Propranolol