PMID: 9546948Jan 1, 1997Paper

Physiologic aspects of drug therapy and large artery elastic properties

Vascular Medicine
A J Bank

Abstract

Vasoactive drugs alter smooth muscle tone not only in arterial resistance vessels, but also in large conduit arteries. The resultant changes in smooth muscle tone alter both conduit vessel size and stiffness and hence influence pulsatile components of left ventricular afterload. The effects of smooth muscle relaxation and contraction on arterial elastic properties are complex and have not been fully characterized. Several recent studies have utilized a new intravascular ultrasound technique to study the effects of changes in smooth muscle tone on brachial artery elastic mechanics in normal human subjects in vivo. Smooth muscle relaxation with nitroglycerin improves isobaric brachial artery compliance without significantly altering arterial wall stiffness as measured by incremental elastic modulus (Einc). The improvement in compliance with smooth muscle relaxation is the net result of factors that: (1) increase wall stiffness (increased tension in parallel elastin and collagen fibers); (2) decrease wall stiffness (decreased tension in the smooth muscle and its associated series elastic component); and (3) increase vessel lumen size. Using a modified Maxwell model for the arterial wall, smooth muscle relaxation is also shown to s...Continue Reading

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Citations

May 4, 1999·Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology & Physiology·J Cameron
Feb 8, 2002·American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology·T WronskiB Flemming
May 26, 1999·Australian and New Zealand Journal of Medicine·G L JenningsB A Kingwell
Dec 12, 2001·Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise·K H SchmitzA R Folsom

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