2020 Volume Annual58 Issue Proc Pages 574-575
Aortic Valve Stenosis (AS) has been associated with aneurysm, and dissection of the ascending aorta. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that impinging jet blood flow due to AS is suggested to disrupt endothelial integrity, contributing to the formation of the aortic diseases. After cultured vascular endothelial cells (ECs) were exposed to impinging jet flow using a custom-made flow circuit, cell-cell junction proteins, VE-cadherin and PECAM-1 were fluorescently stained. As a result, detachment of ECs and a decrease in PECAM-1 expression were observed only in the area where higher wall shear stress and dynamic pressure exerted, while VE-cadherin expression was not changed. These results suggest that EC cell-cell adhesion, known to be important in endothelial integrity, is affected by the mechanical environment caused by impinging jet flow.