Atherosclerosis in Cardiovascular Disease: An Overview

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is often referred to several different diseases and disorders of the heart and blood vessels that constitute cardiovascular or heart disease. CVD is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Atherosclerosis is the most common pathological process leading to CVD, a disease of medium to large arteries that majorly causes heart attacks and strokes. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis lesion is a very complex process that is associated with thickening of the intima layer, weakening of underlying intima. Many components of the vascular, metabolic, and immune systems are involved in this process. These lesions have been presented even in teenagers and young adults and although not clinically significant at this stage, these lesions possess the potential to develop into clinically relevant lesions later on in over decades of life. This article will give an overview relationship between atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

Histopathological and Immunohistochemical studies of the effects of flaxseed in atherosclerosis of rabbits submitted to hypercholesterolemic diet with lyophilized egg to 0.5%

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the potential effects of flaxseed in atherogenesis on rabbits submitted to a hypercholesterolemic diet to 0,5% of cholesterol. Methods: The experiment lasted eight weeks and 32 male New Zealand rabbits were randomized into three groups (G1=11, G2=10 and G3=11). All of them received, during the trial period, the diet Nuvilab® increased with 0.5% cholesterol from lyophilized egg. From the 5th to 8th week, in the G2, was added in the hypercholesterolemic diet 8g/kg of crushed flaxseed, totaling an average of 30g/day. The same amount of crushed flaxseed was added since the beginning of the experiment to G3. Blood samples were collected in the beginning and end of the study to analyze total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C and triglycerides. The euthanasia was performed on the sixty-fifth day to remove the aorta. Despite the increase in TC and LDL-C that occurred in the three experimental groups, it was statistically lower in G3. Morphometric analysis of the intima layer showed a statistically significant difference between groups (p=0.030). Results: There was no statistical evidence in immunohistochemical analysis of inflammatory markers. Conclusion: The consumption of crushed flaxseed showed anti-atherogenic effects on the intimal thickening.

Abstract 19986: Cyclic Stretch-induced CRP3/MLP Sensitizes Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells to Apoptosis During Vein Remodeling in Response to Arterialization

Introduction: We have demonstrated stretch-induced up-regulation of cysteine- and glycine-rich protein 3/muscle LIM-domain protein (CRP3/MLP) rat and human saphenous veins in response to arterialization. Hypothesis: We developed a KO rat to test the hypothesis that CRP3/MLP is a key modifier of vein remodeling during arterialization. Methods/Results: Under basal conditions, we found no micro-macroscopic gross abnormalities in conduit arterial/vein vessels in KO rats. Upon arterialization of jugular vein for 28 days, CRP3 KO compared to WT rats showed a 3-fold increase of intima layer (Area 103 μm2 - CRP3 KO: 250.9 ± 80.0, WT: 79.7 ± 32.3) and inhibition of early apoptotic event (TUNEL positive cells - CRP3 KO: 0.4 ± 0.7, WT: 30.6 ± 6.8). To gain insight on the increased remodeling response, we investigated CRP3 role on apoptosis. Interestingly, ceramide-induced apoptosis was restricted to the presence of basal CRP3 expression. Aortic SMCs, with endogenous CRP3 expression, displayed increased apoptosis compared to cells from KO rats (% of dead cells - CTRL - CRP3 KO: 1.8 ± 0.3, WT: 8.3 ± 1.7; Ceramide 100μm- CRP3 KO: 12.4 ± 7.3, WT: 54.8 ± 8.3). Ceramide failed to induce apoptosis in the absence of CRP3 expression in both jugular vein SMC KO and WT under basal conditions. Upon stretch, WT vein SMC displayed increased CRP3 expression (CRP3/GAPDH gene expression -Static: 0; Stretched: 0.4 ± 0.05) that was accompanied by ceramide-induced apoptosis (% of dead cells - Static control: 0.5 ± 0.1; Static ceramide: 0.8 ± 0.1; Stretched control: 0.7 ± 0.6; Stretched ceramide: 11.4 ± 0.1). Similarly, ceramide-induced apoptosis decreased in stretched CRP3-KO jugular (% of dead cells - Static control: 0.4 ± 0.06; Static ceramide: 0.8 ± 0.07; Stretched control: 0.4 ± 0.2; Stretched ceramide: 0.9 ± 0.06). Western blot analysis showed that ceramide stretch-induced apoptosis in SMC is accompanied by decreased pFAK and pAKT, which may lead Bax to translocate to mitochondria, resulting in caspase 3 activation. Conclusion: Taken together, we provide evidence that CRP3/MLP influences vein remodeling in response to arterialization by sensitizing cells to stretch-induced apoptosis.

Analysis by Light, Scanning, and Transmission Microscopy of the Intima Synovial of the Temporomandibular Joint of Human Fetuses during the Development

Objective. To characterize morphologically and ultrastructurally using light microscopy, the scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy the intima synovial of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of human fetuses between the 10th and the 38th week of development. Materials and Methods. The TMJ was dissected bilaterally in 37 human fetuses belonging to the Institute of Embryology of the University Complutense of Madrid and of the Federal University of São Paulo. Results. The outcome by light microscopy showed the morphology of the TMJ and that the formation of inferior joint cavity precedes the superior joint cavity and the presence of blood vessels in the synovial. Conclusion. By scanning and transmission electron microscopy we observed the presence of two well-defined cell types in the intima layer of synovial of the TMJ of human fetuses, macrophage-like type A cell and fibroblast-like type B cell, and the presence of the a third cell type, defined by the name of intermediate lining cell in the intima layer of the synovial.