title: Heterogeneity in arterial remodeling among sublines of spontaneously hypertensive rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) have been used frequently as a model for human essential hypertension. However, both the SHR and its normotensive control, the Wistar Kyoto rat (WKY), consist of genetically different sublines. We tested the hypothesis that the pathophysiology of vascular remodeling in hypertension differs among rat sublines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We studied mesenteric resistance arteries of WKY and SHR from three different sources, at 6 weeks and 5 months of age. Sublines of WKY and SHR showed differences in blood pressure, body weight, vascular remodeling, endothelial function, and vessel ultrastructure. Common features in small mesenteric arteries from SHR were an increase in wall thickness, wall-to-lumen ratio, and internal elastic lamina thickness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endothelial dysfunction, vascular stiffening, and inward remodeling of small mesenteric arteries are not common features of hypertension, but are subline-dependent. Differences in genetic background associate with different types of vascular remodeling in hypertensive rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Erik N T P
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Bakker
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gergely
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Groma
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Medicine and Nephrology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Léon J A
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Spijkers
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Vos
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van Weert
authors.affiliation: Van Leeuwenhoek Center for Advanced Microscopy, Department of Cell Biology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Henk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van Veen
authors.affiliation: Van Leeuwenhoek Center for Advanced Microscopy, Department of Cell Biology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Everts
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Silvia M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Arribas
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ed
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: VanBavel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001835:Body Weight; D008297:Male; D008638:Mesenteric Arteries / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR / Q000502:physiology*; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D066253:Vascular Remodeling; D014655:Vascular Resistance