Comparison of different de-endothelization procedures in the isolated rat thoracic aorta: a short communication

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of different techniques used for deendothelization on responses to endothelium-dependent (acetylcholine) and -independent (sodium nitroprusside) vasodilators and vasoconstrictor (phenylephrine) in the isolated rat thoracic aorta. Four different methods were used for de-endothelization: (1) mechanical (wire), (2) physical (distilled water), (3) chemical (Triton X-100 and saponin) and (4) enzymatic (trypsin). The results showed that mechanical rubbing with rough-surfaced wire was the most effective procedure amongst five different techniques used for deendothelization in the isolated rat thoracic rings. Denudation by wire abolished endothelium-dependent relaxation successfully without much interfering smooth muscle vasodilating and contracting properties of the agonists. It seems that physical, chemical and enzymatic techniques are not suitable for endothelial denudation in the isolated thoracic rat aorta preparations. These endothelium removing methods may be useful for studying the role of endothelium in vascular beds or small diameter vessels whose endothelial cells can not be removed mechanically.