Mechanism of Chronic Stress-induced Reduced Atherosclerotic Medial Area and Increased Plaque Instability in Rabbit Models of Chronic Stress
Autor: | Tao Gong, Chong-Qing Yang, Ruo-Mei Qi, Lu-Yan Xiao, Xiao-Tao Deng, Ze-Mou Yu |
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Rok vydání: | 2018 |
Předmět: |
Tunica media
Male Pathology medicine.medical_specialty Heart disease Rabbit Model lcsh:Medicine Lumen (anatomy) Caspase 3 Apoptosis 030204 cardiovascular system & hematology Neovascularization Plaque Stability 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Stress Physiological medicine Animals Chronic stress Social stress business.industry Chronic Stress lcsh:R Fibrous cap General Medicine medicine.disease Atherosclerosis Plaque Atherosclerotic Tunica Media Disease Models Animal medicine.anatomical_structure Chronic Disease Original Article Rabbits medicine.symptom business 030217 neurology & neurosurgery Stress Psychological |
Zdroj: | Chinese Medical Journal Chinese Medical Journal, Vol 131, Iss 2, Pp 161-170 (2018) |
ISSN: | 2542-5641 |
Popis: | Background: Chronic stress contributes to increased risks of atherosclerotic diseases including heart disease, stroke, and transient ischemic attack. However, its underline mechanisms are poorly understood. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanism via which chronic stress exerts its effect on atherosclerosis (AS). Methods: Fifty male New Zealand white rabbits were used. Aortic balloon-injury model was applied. Both social stress and physical stress methods were adopted to establish chronic stress models. The lumen stenotic degree, intimal and medial areas, maximum fibrous cap thickness, and plaque contents were measured with histological sections. Proteomic methods were applied to detect protein changes in abdominal aortas to identify the specialized mediators. Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used for further verification and investigation. Results: The stress rabbits exhibited lower body weight, worse fur state, more inactivity behavior, and higher serum cortisol level. Chronic stress was significantly associated with the decreased medial area and increased plaque instability, which was manifested by thinner fibrous caps, larger lipid cores, more macrophages, and new vessels but fewer smooth muscle cells and elastic fibers. After chronic stress, the apoptosis-related genes UBE2K, BAX, FAS, Caspase 3, Caspase 9, and P53 were upregulated, and BCL-2/BAX was down-regulated; the angiogenesis-related genes ANG and VEGF-A were also highly expressed in atherosclerotic arteries. Conclusions: Rabbit models of chronic stress were successfully established by applying both social stress and physical stress for 8 weeks. Chronic stress can reduce AS tunica media and accelerate plaque instability by promoting apoptosis and neovascularization. Key words: Atherosclerosis; Chronic Stress; Plaque Stability; Rabbit Model; Tunica Media |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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