CHANGES IN CONDUIT PULMONARY ARTERIAL STATIC AND DYNAMIC MECHANICAL PROPERTIES DURING SEVERE HYPOXIC PULMONARY HYPERTENSION

摘要

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a complex disorder that manifests as abnormally high blood pressure in the vasculature of the lungs. The chronic structural and mechanical changes in the proximal pulmonary artery (PA) associated with PH include smooth muscle cell hypertrophy and proliferation, accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) protein and increased stiffness. Recent evidence has shown that conduit PA stiffness is a strong predictor of mortality in pulmonary arterial hypertension. This suggests a potential association between large PA biomechanics and right ventricle failure. However, most previous measurements of conduit PA mechanical properties were performed statically. As arteries are constantly under pulsatile blood flow and pressure, the dynamic properties, i.e., viscoelasticity, may be relevant to ventricular afterload. The purpose of this study was to examine the viscoelastic changes in conduit PAs after hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (HPH) using a new mouse model of severe PH.