The macromolecular basis of the hydraulic conductivity of the arterial wall

The question of what components of the artery wall determine its hydraulic conductivity is approached in two different ways. Firstly, the hydraulic properties of an individual component, hyaluronate, are measured. It is shown that hyaluronate alone cannot account for the high resistance of the artery but hyaluronate entangled in a restraining filter has a hydraulic conductivity similar to that measured for the whole artery. Secondly, the hydraulic properties of porcine thoracic aortae which have been subjected to various extraction procedures are measured. Freezing and autoclaving have little effect, but alkali extraction increases the hydraulic conductivity by three orders of magnitude.