Collateral Vessels Have Unique Endothelial and Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotypes.

ABSTRACT: Collaterals are unique blood vessels present in the microcirculation of most tissues that, by cross-connecting a small fraction of the outer branches of adjacent arterial trees, provide alternate routes of perfusion. However, collaterals are especially susceptible to rarefaction caused by aging, other vascular risk factors, and mouse models of Alzheimer's disease-a vulnerability attributed to the disturbed hemodynamic environment in the watershed regions where they reside. We examined the hypothesis that endothelial and smooth muscle cells (ECs and SMCs, respectively) of collaterals have specializations, distinct from those of similarly-sized nearby distal-most arterioles (DMAs) that maintain collateral integrity despite their continuous exposure to low and oscillatory/disturbed shear stre

SUBMITTER: Zhang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6695737 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature