家兎大動脈の力学的性質に及ぼすコレステロール投与期間の影響

抄録

Effects of cholesterol feeding periods on the mechanical properties of the excised thoracic and abdominal aortae of rabbits fed a diet containing a high concentration of cholesterol and saturated fat were investigated by use of a tensile testing machine. The mechanical parameters, such as tensile strength, incremental elastic modulus, tensile stress, and a newly defined elastic parameter of the thoracic and abdominal aortae, decreased during the development of atherosclerosis ; however, their ultimate strain increased. The abdominal aortae were stiffer compared with the thoracic aortae during the feeding periods studied. Serum cholesterol concentration in blood plasma increased with the period of feeding. Although the cholesterol level significantly correlated with the decrease of tensile strength of the thoracic aortae, it did not show a significant correlation with the other deformation and fracture parameters of the aortae.