The sympathetic nervous system and atherosclerosis

Morphometric and chemical changes in the arterial wall were studied after 12 months of diet-induced atherosclerosis in rhesus monkeys treated with either bilateral surgical thoracic sympathectomy or propranolol. There was a marked reduction in the progression of atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries and a moderate reduction in the disease found in the thoracic aorta of monkeys treated initially with a sympathectomy, in comparison to control monkeys fed an atherogenic diet alone. Propranolol at a dose of 40 mg/12 hrs also seemed to reduce the progression of atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries and thoracic aorta, although the differences were less dramatic. There were minimal differences in the extent of atherosclerosis in the abdominal aorta or femoral arteries of animals in either treatment group as compared with the control group. Similarly, the chemical composition of these same major vessels showed no significant differences. Therefore, in the face of severe atherogenic stimuli, chemical or surgical sympathectomy may be useful in controlling atherosclerosis in specific arterial beds.