Mechanism of gender-specific differences in aortic stiffness with aging in nonhuman primates.
BACKGROUND
Our hypothesis was that the changes in vascular properties responsible for aortic stiffness with aging would be greater in old male monkeys than old female monkeys.


RESULTS
We analyzed the effects of gender differences in aging on in vivo measurements of aortic pressure and diameter and on extracellular matrix of the thoracic aorta in young adult (age, 6.6+/-0.5 years) versus old adult (age, 21.2+/-0.2 years) monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Aortic stiffness, as represented by the pressure strain elastic modulus (Ep), increased more in old male monkeys (5.08+/-0.81; P<0.01) than in old females (3.06+/-0.52). In both genders, collagen density was maintained, collagen-bound glycation end products increased, and collagen type 1 decreased. However, elastin density decreased significantly (from 22+/-1.5% to 15+/-1.2%) with aging (P<0.05) only in males. Furthermore, only old males were characterized by a decrease (P<0.05) in collagen type 3 (an isoform that promotes elasticity) and an increase in collagen type 8 (an isoform that promotes the neointimal migration of vascular smooth muscle cells). In contrast to the data in monkeys, collagen types 1 and 3 both increased significantly in aging rats.


CONCLUSIONS
There are major species differences in the effects of aging on aortic collagen types 1 and 3. Furthermore, because alterations in collagen density, collagen content, hydroxyproline, and collagen advanced glycation end products were similar in both old male and female monkeys, these factors cannot be responsible for the greater increase in stiffness in old males. However, changes in collagen isoforms and the decrease in elastin observed only in old males likely account for the greater increase in aortic stiffness.
Qiu
Hongyu
H
Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, 185 S Orange Ave, Newark, NJ 07103, USA.
Depre
Christophe
C
Ghosh
Kaushik
K
Resuello
Ranillo G
RG
Natividad
Filipinas F
FF
Rossi
Franco
F
Peppas
Athanasios
A
Shen
You-Tang
YT
Vatner
Dorothy E
DE
Vatner
Stephen F
SF
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology*; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D003094:Collagen / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics
D003094:Collagen