The growth of human atherosclerotic and non-atherosclerotic aortic intima and media in vitro.
The capacity for and the pattern of growth in vitro of human aortic smooth muscle from normal intima and media and from plaque intima was studied. For media tissue outgrowth occurred but decreased with age and was virtually absent for media from patients more than 60 years of age. Intima did not show a similar age-related decrease which indicates a role of the intimal smooth muscle as a tissue reserve independent of age. Some of the intima outgrowths reverted spontaneously after 8-9 weeks suggesting a state of tissue senescence. The growth patterns of non-atherosclerotic tissue and atherosclerotic were grossly similar; the outgrowth from lipidrich atherosclerotic tissue contained, in addition, one large and one very small variety of "foam" cell.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001011:Aorta / Q000166:cytology; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D002455:Cell Division; D002465:Cell Movement; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology*