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Coronary intimal thickening in newborn babies and <or=1-year-old infants

José Milei1, Daniel R Grana, Carlos Navari

  • 1Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas (ININCA), University of Buenos Aires - Conicet, Buenos Aires, Argentina. ininca@fmed.uba.ar

Angiology
|November 21, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Early coronary artery intimal thickening, characterized by smooth muscle cell infiltration, is present in infants. These initial changes suggest a crucial role for smooth muscle cells in early atherogenesis.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Pathology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Histology

Background:

  • Coronary artery disease (CAD) has early origins.
  • Understanding initial atherogenesis in infants is crucial for prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To morphologically characterize early intimal thickenings in infant coronary arteries.
  • To investigate the role of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in initial coronary atherogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Examination of coronary artery specimens from 67 infants (first year of life).
  • Histological staining (hematoxylin-eosin, Azan, Alcian blue, acetic orceine).
  • Immunophenotyping for CD68, CD34, and alpha-smooth muscle (SM) actin.

Main Results:

  • Substantial intimal changes found in approximately 1 in 3 infants.
  • Lesions ranged from mild focal myointimal thickening to diffuse moderate thickening.
  • SMCs infiltrated the subendothelium, often with internal elastic lamina rupture and no neoangiogenesis.

Conclusions:

  • Early-life intimal thickenings are present in coronary arteries.
  • Smooth muscle cells play a significant role in the initiation of coronary atherogenesis.

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