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.
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
Jaume
J
Padilla
Grant H
GH
Simmons
Sean C
SC
Newcomer
M Harold
MH
Laughlin
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