Vascular disease in mice with a dysfunctional circadian clock.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States and the world. A profound pattern exists in the time of day at which the death occurs; it is in the morning, when the endothelium is most vulnerable and blood pressure surges, that stroke and heart attack most frequently happen. Although the molecular components of circadian rhythms rhythmically oscillate in blood vessels, evidence of a direct function for the "circadian clock" in the progression to vascular disease is lacking.

Methods and results

In the present study, we found increased pathological remodeling and vascular injury in mice with aberrant circadian rhythms, Bmal1-knockout and Clock mutant. In addition, naive aortas from Bmal1-knockout and Clock mutant mic

SUBMITTER: Anea CB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2761686 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature