PRESSURE AND FLOW INDUCED REMODELING OF CORONARY VESSELS

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DESCRIPTION (Adapted from investigator's abstract): The objective of this proposal is to understand the adaptive mechanisms in the structure, mechanical properties and function of the coronary arterial vessels to altered mechanical forces, including principal and shear stresses, in experimental models of hypertension and flow overload. The specific aims include studies on alterations in the macro-structure including the length, diameter, and branching pattern of all generations of the coronary tree in response to increased mechanical stresses; alterations in the vessel walls and their micro-structure, including the intima, media and adventitia of all generations; to determine the remodeling of the mechanical properties, including the zero-stress state; and to express the structural and mechanical remodeling data mathematically in terms of indicial functions. This project will provide a structural and mechanical foundation for the study of tissue engineering of the blood vessels, to clarify the role of mechanical stresses on coronary blood vessel remodeling, and to clarify the structural and mechanical remodeling that signifies hypertension and hypertrophy as important risk factors for coronary artery disease.