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Updated: May 23, 2026
Isolation of Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells from Neonatal Mice
Published on: October 19, 2013
[Pulmonary vascular remodeling in neonatal rats with hypoxic pulmonary hypertension]
Kui Sang1, Ying Zhou, Ming-Xia Li
1Department of Neonatology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi 830054, China.
Objective:
To study the changes of pulmonary vascular remodeling in the pathogenesis of hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (HPH) in neonatal rats.
Methods:
Ninety-six newborn Wistar rats were randomly divided into an HPH group (hypoxia exposure) and a control group (room air exposure). The mean pulmonary arteria pressure (mPAP), right ventricle hypertrophy index (RVHI), and vascular remodeling indexes MT% and MA% were measured 3, 5, 7, 10, 14 and 21 days after exposure (n=8 each time point). The ultrastructure of pulmonary vascular was observed under a transmission electron microscope.
Results:
mPAP in the HPH group 3, 5, 7, 10, 14 and 21 days after hypoxia exposure increased compared with the control group (P<0.05). With the prolonged hypoxia time, mPAP in the HPH group increased more significantly. MT%, MA% and RVHI increased significantly in the HPH group after 7 days of hypoxia exposure in a time-dependent manner compared with the control group (P<0.05). The transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that small pulmonary arterials became thickened, endothelial cell hyperplasia and degeneration, and organelles increased in the HPH group after 7 days of hypoxia exposure. Besides, collagen deposition in the extracellular matrix and the changes of pulmonary vascular remodeling were observed.
Conclusions:
mPAP increases between 3 and 5 days of hypoxia exposure, resulting from pulmonary vascular spasm caused by hypoxia. After hypoxia of 7 days, the mPAP increases more significantly, pulmonary vascular remodeling occurs, and right ventricle becomes irreversibly hypertrophic. These changes may be intensified as the prolonged hypoxia time.
