Effect of increased arterial blood flow on localization and progression of atherosclerosis.
Unilateral femoral arteriovenous fistulas were constructed in New Zealand white female rabbits that were subsequently placed on a 1% cholesterol diet for two months. Experimental animals were divided into three groups: group 1 (N = 7), the fistula remained patent for two months; group 2 (N = 7), the fistula occluded after the first month of the observation period; and group 3 (N = 6), the fistula closed after the first month, but the rabbits were maintained on the cholesterol diet for a total of three months. In group 1, 59% (+/- 13%) of the surface area of the donor iliac artery had atherosclerotic lesions compared with 18% (+/- 3%) of the contralateral iliac artery. A similar distribution of atherosclerotic lesions was noted in groups 2 and 3. Increasing arterial blood flow did not have a protective effect on the donor artery but seemed to promote atherosclerosis.
D000818:Animals; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001775:Blood Circulation; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D005268:Femoral Vein / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D007083:Iliac Artery / Q000637:transplantation; D011817:Rabbits; D012039:Regional Blood Flow
D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary