Epidemiological studies revealed an association between IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) and an increased risk of developing CVDs (cardiovascular diseases), such as atherosclerosis or hypertension, in later life. Whether or not IUGR contributes to the development of atherosclerotic lesions, however, is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that IUGR aggravates experimentally induced vascular remodelling. IUGR was induced in rats by maternal protein restriction during pregnancy (8% protein diet). To detect possible differences in the development of vascular injury, a model of carotid artery ligation to induce vascular remodelling was applied in 8-week-old intrauterine-growth-restricted and control rat offspring. Histological and immunohistochemical analyses were performed in the ligated and non-ligated carotid arteries 8 weeks after ligation. IUGR alone neither caused overt histological changes nor significant dedifferentiation of VSMCs (vascular smooth muscle cells). After carotid artery ligation, however, neointima formation, media thickness and media/lumen ratio were significantly increased in rats after IUGR compared with controls. Moreover, dedifferentiation of VSMCs and collagen deposition in the media were more prominent in ligated carotids from rats after IUGR compared with ligated carotids from control rats. We conclude that IUGR aggravates atherosclerotic vascular remodelling induced by a second injury later in life.
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Research Article|
June 07 2012
Intrauterine growth restriction promotes vascular remodelling following carotid artery ligation in rats
Carlos Menendez-Castro;
*Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
Correspondence: Dr Carlos Menendez-Castro, MD (email [email protected]).
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Nada Cordasic;
Nada Cordasic
†Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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Matthias Schmid;
Matthias Schmid
‡Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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Fabian Fahlbusch;
Fabian Fahlbusch
*Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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Wolfgang Rascher;
Wolfgang Rascher
*Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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Kerstin Amann;
Kerstin Amann
§Department of Nephropathology, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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Karl F. Hilgers;
Karl F. Hilgers
†Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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Andrea Hartner
Andrea Hartner
*Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
December 08 2011
Revision Received:
April 18 2012
Accepted:
April 23 2012
Accepted Manuscript online:
April 23 2012
Online ISSN: 1470-8736
Print ISSN: 0143-5221
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2012 Biochemical Society
2012
Clin Sci (Lond) (2012) 123 (7): 437–444.
Article history
Received:
December 08 2011
Revision Received:
April 18 2012
Accepted:
April 23 2012
Accepted Manuscript online:
April 23 2012
Citation
Carlos Menendez-Castro, Nada Cordasic, Matthias Schmid, Fabian Fahlbusch, Wolfgang Rascher, Kerstin Amann, Karl F. Hilgers, Andrea Hartner; Intrauterine growth restriction promotes vascular remodelling following carotid artery ligation in rats. Clin Sci (Lond) 1 October 2012; 123 (7): 437–444. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/CS20110637
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