抄録
Perforating arteries were examined electronmicroscopically in 60 stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP), which were sequentially killed at 4-52 weeks of age before showing symptoms of stroke. Further 24 SHRSP were killed just after they became symptomatic by cerebral infarction. The initial vascular lesions observed in the asymptomatic group were focal cytoplasmic necrosis in the outer layers of the media. Focal cytoplasmic necrosis progressed into widespread medial necrosis with the passage of time. In the infarction group we discovered that numerous monocytes adhered to the endothelium of the arteries with advanced medial damage. Following the adherence of the monocytes enormous amounts of plasma components entered and accumulated in the arterial wall. Accumulation of the plasma components, especially fibrin, thickened the wall, narrowed the lumen and resulted in occlusion. These results suggest that monocyte may work on the endothelium and disturb the barrier function, the so-called blood-brain barrier. In other words the monocytes are closely related to the arterial occlusions, and then the cerebral infarction.
