Changes in Water Filtration Velocity and Wall Structure of the Rabbit Common Carotid Artery after Removal of the Adventitia

Abstract

To investigate the effect of the changes in water filtration velocity on the structure of an arterial wall, measurements of water filtration velocity and microscopic observation of histological specimens of the rabbit common carotid arteries were carried out by surgically removing the adventitia of the arteries and harvesting them at different times postoperatively. It was found that by removal of the adventitia, water filtration velocity at the arterial wall increased temporarily, and then as healing of the adventitia progressed, it decreased gradually until water filtration velocity attained almost the same value as that obtained with intact arteries. Intimal thickening was observed in those vessels harvested at 7 and 14 days postoperatively. Furthermore, it was shown by theoretical calculations that the concentration of low-density lipoprotein, which is a main carrier of cholesterol in blood, was locally elevated at the luminal surface of the segment where water filtration velocity was increased by removal of the adventitia. These results indicate that the change in water filtration velocity at the vessel wall brings about certain changes in the structure of the vessel wall.