Figure 1.
Representative images for pulse wave velocity (PWV) and strain measurements.
A, Measurement of distance between two anatomical points along the abdominal aorta: proximal point after superior mesenteric artery branchpoint; distal point at site of crossing of renal vein. B, Representative Doppler frequency at distal point site: where renal vein crosses aorta. Integrated software for cursor-based measurement of distance given in mm (in A) and time in milliseconds from the peak of the ECG-R wave to the foot of the velocity upstroke (in B). C, Representative M-mode image for strain measurement in left carotid artery.
Figure 2.
Arterial stiffness in stoke-prone (SP) and non stroke-prone (nSP) Dahl S female rats using pulse wave velocity (PWV) and arterial strain measured at three weeks and six weeks of age.
Left common carotid arterial strain (A), aortic PWV (B) and left common carotid arterial PWV (C) were measured in SP and nSP Dahl S female rats at three weeks (3w) and six weeks (6w) of age. SP Dahl S females (3 weeks of age), n = 5; nSP Dahl S females (3 weeks of age), n = 6; SP Dahl S females (6 weeks of age), n = 5; nSP Dahl S females (6 weeks of age), n = 6. Values are presented as box-and-whisker plots with the ends of the whiskers representing the minimum and maximum of all of the data. **P<0.01, ***P<0.001 (One Way ANOVA followed by Holm-Sidak Test for multiple comparisons).
Figure 3.
Development of high blood pressure in stoke-prone (SP) and non stroke-prone (nSP) Dahl S female rats.
Systolic (A), diastolic (B), mean arterial (C) and pulse (D) pressures in SP Dahl S (n = 4, closed circles) and nSP Dahl S (n = 6, open circles) female rats. Blood pressure parameters were collected at 6 and 16 weeks of age. Values are means ± s.e.m. ***P<0.001, (Two Way ANOVA followed by Holm-Sidak Test for multiple comparisons).
Figure 4.
Representative histological micrographs of aortic and left common carotid artery (LCCA) sections from stoke-prone (SP) and non stroke-prone (nSP) Dahl S female rats at six weeks of age.
Masson-trichrome stained sections of LCCA and abdominal aorta taken at the site of PWV measurement. Bar = 10 microns.
Figure 5.
RT-PCR array profiling in aortas and left common carotid artery (LCCA) of stoke-prone (SP) and non stroke-prone (nSP) Dahl S female rats at six weeks of age.
Pathway-specific RT2-qPCR array comparative analysis of gene expression changes in LCCA (red bars) and aorta (black bars) at 6-weeks of age representing ratio of SP/nSP RNA levels. A) Extracellular matrix (ECM) and matricellular (MC) protein pathway-specific significant gene changes. B) Endothelial Cell (EC) Biology pathway-specific gene changes. C and D) Epigenetic regulator pathway-specific gene changes. SP (0.4% NaCl); nSP (0.23% NaCl) from gestation. Gene expression changes shown are limited to ≥ 2-fold change and p<0.01 in either vessel. Only statistically significant differences are presented (P<0.05, Two Way ANOVA followed by Holm-Sidak Test for multiple comparisons; Tables S1–S6).
Figure 6.
Representative immunofluorescence micrographs of left common carotid artery (LCCA) sections from stoke-prone (SP) and non stroke-prone (nSP) Dahl S female rats at six weeks of age.
Immunohistofluorescence analysis of expression of epigenetic regulator genes detected to be significantly increased by pathway-specific RT2-qPCR array analysis in SP-LCCA compared to nSP-LCCA. Ep300, E1A binding protein p300 (histone acetyltransferase), HDAC3, histone deacetylase 3, PRMT5, protein arginine methyltransferase-5, a histone methyl transferase. Red fluorescence, AF-568 labeled antibody to specific epigenetic regulator gene; green fluorescence, α-smooth muscle actin; blue fluorescence, DAPI, DNA nuclear stain. White arrows, endothelium. Bar = 20 microns.