Skin blood flowmotion and microvascular reactivity investigation in hypercholesterolemic patients without clinically manifest arterial diseases.
Fourier spectral analysis of forearm skin laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) signal was performed in fifteen hypercholesterolemic patients (HP), without clinically manifest arterial diseases, and in fifteen age-matched healthy control subjects (CS), in order to investigate skin blood flowmotion (SBF). The LDF frequency intervals studied were: 0.01-1.6 Hz total spectrum, as well as 0.01-0.02 Hz (endothelial), 0.02-0.06 Hz (sympathetic), 0.06-0.2 Hz (myogenic), 0.2-0.6 Hz (respiratory) and 0.6-1.6 Hz (cardiac). Skin microvascular reactivity (MVR) to acetylcholine (ACh) and to sodium nitroprusside (SNP) iontophoresis was also investigated. HP showed a lower post-ACh increase in power spectral density (PSD) of the 0.01-0.02 Hz SBF subinterval compared to CS (1.80+/-1.73 PU(2)/Hz vs 3.59+/-1.78 PU(2)/Hz, respectively; p<0.005), while they did not differ in MVR from CS. In eleven HP the 0.01-0.02 Hz SBF subinterval showed a higher post-ACh PSD increase near to the statistical significance after 10 weeks of rosuvastatin therapy (10 mg/day) compared to pretreatment test (3.04+/-2.95 PU(2)/Hz vs 1.91+/-1.94 PU(2)/Hz; p=0.07). The blunted post-ACh increase in PSD of the 0.01-0.02 Hz SBF subinterval in HP suggests a skin endothelial dysfunction in these patients. This SBF abnormality showed a tendency to improve after rosuvastatin therapy in eleven treated patients.
Rossi
M
M
Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Università degli Studi di Pisa, Pisa, Italia. mrossi@int.med.unipi.it
Carpi
A
A
Di Maria
C
C
Franzoni
F
F
Galetta
F
F
Santoro
G
G
D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005464:Fluorobenzenes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007478:Iontophoresis; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation; D008875:Middle Aged; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D000068718:Rosuvastatin Calcium; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply*; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage
D005464:Fluorobenzenes; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D011743:Pyrimidines; D013449:Sulfonamides; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D009599:Nitroprusside; D000068718:Rosuvastatin Calcium; D000109:Acetylcholine