ISSN:
1432-2307
Keywords:
Electron Microscopy
;
Coronary Arteries
;
Atherosclerosis
;
Aging
;
Smooth Muscle
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Summary The coronary arteries were studied by electron microscopy in normal rats weighing 65 to 535 gm; fixation was accomplished by perfusion for 20 min at 110–130 mm Hg. In rats of all ages (but especially in the oldest) the arterial wall contained deposits of abnormal intercellular material, consisting of granules, vesicles, myelin figures and other debris. These deposits were present in the intima and media, but rare in the adventitia; there was suggestive evidence that medial cells phagocytized some of the material. The adventitia was characterized by 1–4 layers of cells with extremely thin protoplasmic expansions wrapped around the vessel (“veil cells”) and containing lysosome-like bodies as well as phagosomes. These findings, taken as a whole, suggest the following sequence of events. During normal life, the media produces cellular debris, by cell death as well as by fragmentation of cellular processes; part of these debris are phagocytized by smooth muscle cells, part diffuse outward to the adventitia where they are taken up by specialized cells (the “veil cells”). However, due to relative inadequacy of phagocytosis in the media, the debris continue to accumulate and form intercellular deposits that increase with age. It is possible that this natural phenomenon may by itself set a maximal limit to the life-span of the arterial wall.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01230861
