title: Stiffness of Intact Endothelial Cells From Fresh Aortic Bifurcations of Atherosclerotic Rabbits-Atomic Force Microscopic Study.
abstract: Stiffness of intact endothelial cells (ECs) in the abdominal aorta (AA) and in the medial and lateral wall of the common iliac artery (CIA(Medial) and CIA(Lateral), respectively), which were freshly obtained from cholesterol-fed rabbits, were measured with an atomic force microscopic indentation method. In the areas away from atherosclerotic plaques (Off-plaque), ECs were significantly stiffer in CIA(Medial) than in the other two locations; this result was similar to that from normal diet-fed animals. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in the stiffness of ECs located on atherosclerotic plaques (On-plaque) among the three sites; the stiffness was equal to those in "Off-plaque" wall of CIA(Lateral) and AA. Moreover, the stiffness of ECs covering plaques decreased with the progression of atherosclerosis. The precise quantification of the stiffness of vascular ECs would provide a better understanding of cellular remodeling and adaptation in atherosclerosis. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 7-13, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Science and Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan. kozaburohayashi@gmail.com.|Medical Device Innovation Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan. kozaburohayashi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kozaburo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Science and Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Michitaka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Higaki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000473:pathology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008297:Male; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol