PMID- 10412340
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19990805
LR  - 20061115
IS  - 0513-5796 (Print)
IS  - 0513-5796 (Linking)
VI  - 40
IP  - 3
DP  - 1999 Jun
TI  - Ultrastructural changes of the external elastic lamina in experimental 
      hypercholesterolemic porcine coronary arteries.
PG  - 273-82
AB  - The external elastic lamina (EEL) serves as a barrier for cells and 
      macromolecules between the media and adventitia in the vascular wall. We 
      evaluated the morphological changes and quantitative assessments of the EEL 
      architecture in the coronary circulation of pigs fed with a high cholesterol 
      diet. Confocal microscopy analysis of the EEL from hypercholesterolemic coronary 
      arteries revealed an altered pattern characterized by fragmentation and 
      disorganization of the EEL associated with an increase in the thickness. 
      Computerized digital analysis of the images obtained by confocal scanning 
      microscopy demonstrated that compared to normal coronary arteries, the EEL of 
      hypercholesterolemic coronary arteries decreased in the percentage of their 
      elastin content (30.80 +/- 1.64% vs. 47.85 +/- 1.82%, p = 0.001). The percentage 
      of elastin content was negatively correlated with the vessel wall area (r = 
      -0.82, p = 0.001). The immunoreactivity for matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) 
      increased in cholesterol-fed coronary arteries, predominantly in the neointima 
      and adventitia. This study demonstrates that experimental hypercholesterolemia 
      induced ultrastructural changes of the EEL in coronary circulation. The EEL may 
      also be an atherosclerosis-prone area compared with the intima. The EEL may play 
      an important role in the development of structural changes which characterizes 
      the early phase of coronary atherosclerosis and vascular remodeling.
FAU - Kwon, H M
AU  - Kwon HM
AD  - Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 
      Korea. hmkwon@yumc.yonsei.ac.kr
FAU - Kang, S
AU  - Kang S
FAU - Hong, B K
AU  - Hong BK
FAU - Kim, D
AU  - Kim D
FAU - Park, H Y
AU  - Park HY
FAU - Shin, M S
AU  - Shin MS
FAU - Byun, K H
AU  - Byun KH
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - Korea (South)
TA  - Yonsei Med J
JT  - Yonsei medical journal
JID - 0414003
RN  - EC 3.4.24.17 (Matrix Metalloproteinase 3)
SB  - IM
MH  - Animals
MH  - Arteries/enzymology/ultrastructure
MH  - Coronary Vessels/enzymology/*ultrastructure
MH  - Elastic Tissue/enzymology/*ultrastructure
MH  - Female
MH  - Hypercholesterolemia/enzymology/*pathology
MH  - Matrix Metalloproteinase 3/metabolism
MH  - Swine
EDAT- 1999/07/21 00:00
MHDA- 1999/07/21 00:01
CRDT- 1999/07/21 00:00
PHST- 1999/07/21 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1999/07/21 00:01 [medline]
PHST- 1999/07/21 00:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.3349/ymj.1999.40.3.273 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Yonsei Med J. 1999 Jun;40(3):273-82. doi: 10.3349/ymj.1999.40.3.273.