title: Correlation of age with in vivo expression of endothelial markers.
abstract: The importance of endothelial senescence as a pathogenetic factor in age-related vascular alterations has almost exclusively been studied in vitro. However, the in vitro-findings have rarely been compared with histomorphological changes in aging human tissue or in age-related degenerative diseases. Therefore, we compared the expression of the endothelial marker CD34 and the procoagulant protein von Willebrand factor (vWf) in lung endothelium by conventional immunohistochemistry and confocal laser scan microscopy (CLSM), taking the age of the patients into consideration. The staining reactions were statistically analysed by covariance analysis. With age the endothelial staining intensity of CD34 increased in arteries and veins, but decreased in arterioles, capillaries and venules. For vWf, on the contrary, the endothelial staining intensity increased with age in all types of vessels. CLSM confirmed a mosaic staining pattern. This study demonstrates age-associated phenotypical alterations of CD34 and vWf. Whether the down-regulation of CD34 correlates with an age-associated reduction of the angiogenetic properties of EC or an age-related over-expression of vWf as a relevant cofactor for the raised coagulatory activity and the increase in thrombotic diseases resp coronary heart disease in older patients, remains subject to debate.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, Berufsgenossenschaftliche Kliniken Bergmannsheil-Universitätsklinik, Bürkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, D-44789 Bochum, Germany. annette.mueller@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
authors.forename: Annette M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Skrzynski
authors.forename: Maya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nesslinger
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Skipka
authors.forename: Klaus-Michael
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Müller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007223:Infant; D008168:Lung / Q000098:blood supply; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008875:Middle Aged; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34; D014841:von Willebrand Factor