title: Skin blood flowmotion and microvascular reactivity investigation in hypercholesterolemic patients without clinically manifest arterial diseases.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Università degli Studi di Pisa, Pisa, Italia. mrossi@int.med.unipi.it
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carpi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Maria
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Franzoni
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Galetta
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Santoro
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D005464:Fluorobenzenes; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D011743:Pyrimidines; D013449:Sulfonamides; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D009599:Nitroprusside; D000068718:Rosuvastatin Calcium; D000109:Acetylcholine