Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 2, 2026
Evaluation of Vascular Control Mechanisms Utilizing Video Microscopy of Isolated Resistance Arteries of Rats
Published on: December 5, 2017
Arterial compliance and distensibility in spontaneously hypertensive rats
Aim:
These studies were undertaken in intact spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) to assess whether the elastic behavior of conduit arteries changes as a function of age.
Methods:
We studied 16-week-old (n = 10) and 36-week-old (n = 10) SHR under fluothane anesthesia. Diameter-, compliance-, and distensibility-pressure curves were established non-invasively for the carotid artery by means of a high-precision ultrasonic echo-tracking device. Intra-arterial pressure was monitored simultaneously in the contralateral carotid artery.
Results:
Mean blood pressure was 197 +/- 6 and 185 +/- 3 mmHg (mean +/- SEM) in the younger and older SHR, respectively. No significant difference was observed between the two groups of rats in the diameter-, compliance- and distensibility-pressure curves.
Conclusions:
These results suggest that the elastic behavior of elastic arteries is not necessarily altered with aging in rats with genetic hypertension.
