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Does diffuse intimal thickening in human coronary artery act as a diffusion barrier to endothelium-derived relaxing
M Keitoku1, H Okayama, Y Satoh
1First Department of Internal Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai.
Abstract:
We investigated the effect of intimal thickness in human coronary artery on the endothelium-dependent relaxation. Histamine (in the presence of cimetidine), substance P and A23187 potently relaxed arterial rings with intima thinner than 200 microns. However, those relaxations diminished progressively in the artery with intimal thickness of 200-400 microns, and disappeared at the thickness greater than 400 microns. These results suggest that diffuse intimal thickening greater than 200 microns may inhibit the diffusion of endothelium-derived relaxing factor.
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