Document Type
Article
Journal Title
iScience
Publication Date
2023
Volume
26(6)
Abstract
Blood flow is a key regulator of atherosclerosis. Disturbed blood flow promotes atherosclerotic plaque development, whereas normal blood flow protects against plaque development. We hypothesized that normal blood flow is also therapeutic, if it were able to be restored within atherosclerotic arteries. Apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE−/−) mice were initially instrumented with a blood flow-modifying cuff to induce plaque development and then five weeks later the cuff was removed to allow restoration of normal blood flow. Plaques in decuffed mice exhibited compositional changes that indicated increased stability compared to plaques in mice with the cuff maintained. The therapeutic benefit of decuffing was comparable to atorvastatin and the combination had an additive effect. In addition, decuffing allowed restoration of lumen area, blood velocity, and wall shear stress to near baseline values, indicating restoration of normal blood flow. Our findings demonstrate that the mechanical effects of normal blood flow on atherosclerotic plaques promote stabilization. © 2023 The Author(s)
DOI Link
ISSN
25890042
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Schake, Morgan A.; McCue, Ian S.; Curtis, Evan T.; Ripperda, Thomas J.; Harvey, Samuel; Hackfort, Bryan T.; Fitzwater, Anna; Chatzizisis, Yiannis S.; Kievit, Forrest M.; and Pedrigi, Ryan M., "Restoration of Normal Blood Flow in Atherosclerotic Arteries Promotes Plaque Stabilization" (2023). Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology. 45.
https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/com_cell_articles/45
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Cellular and Molecular Physiology Commons, Medical Physiology Commons, Systems and Integrative Physiology Commons