Relationship between brachial and femoral artery endothelial vasomotor function/phenotype in pigs.
In humans, the measurement of brachial artery endothelial vasomotor function is used as a surrogate index of systemic endothelial health; however, the applicability of brachial artery findings to other vasculatures needs to be examined. The purpose of the present investigation was to test the following hypotheses: (1) brachial and femoral artery endothelium-dependent/independent relaxation is correlated; (2) endothelial expression of pro-/antiatherogenic proteins is correlated between brachial and femoral arteries; and (3) within vessel, there is a positive correlation between expression of antiatherogenic proteins and endothelium-dependent/independent relaxation, and an inverse correlation between expression of proatherogenic proteins and relaxation. In vitro endothelium-dependent (bradykinin [BK] and acetylcholine [Ach]) and -independent (sodium nitroprusside [SNP]) relaxation were evaluated in harvested brachial and femoral arteries of 96 Yucatan miniature swine. In a subset of pigs (n = 32), expression of 18 pro-/antiatherogenic proteins was measured from brachial and femoral artery endothelial cell scrapes using immunoblot analysis. Vascular sensitivity (half-maximal effective dose) to BK, Ach and SNP was highly correlated between brachial and femoral arteries (P < 0.01). A significant correlation was found between brachial and femoral arteries for content of six of the 18 measured proteins (P < 0.01). Furthermore, expression of two proteins (eNOS and COX-1) was correlated with vasorelaxation function in the brachial artery (P < 0.01). We provide the first evidence of a relationship between brachial and femoral artery endothelium-dependent relaxation. Our data also suggest that, in general terms, endothelial expression of several established pro-/antiatherogenic proteins is not robustly associated between brachial and femoral arteries, and does not link strongly to vasorelaxation function.
Padilla
Jaume
J
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
Simmons
Grant H
GH
Newcomer
Sean C
SC
Laughlin
M Harold
MH
D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001920:Bradykinin / Q000494:pharmacology; D015237:Dinoprost / Q000494:pharmacology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000494:pharmacology; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology*; D013556:Swine, Miniature / Q000502:physiology; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D014666:Vasomotor System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D009599:Nitroprusside; D015237:Dinoprost; D000109:Acetylcholine; D001920:Bradykinin