The ultrastructure of peripheral arteries during the development of DOCA hypertension in the rat

Summary The ultrastructure of the unconstricted superficial epigastric and femoral arteries is described in normal rats and in animals with hypertension induced by unilateral nephrectomy, by subcutaneous injections of desoxycorticosterone acetate and drinking of 1% NaCl. The femoral artery showed by far the greater response to the DOCA-saline treatment. In both vessels, the smooth-muscle cells changed from the normal spindle shape to a blunt ended outline with numerous pinocytotic vesicles and prolific collagen production. With long term hypertension, particularly in the femoral artery, the smooth-muscle cell profiles became very irregular. Hypertrophy of the organelles of the smooth-muscle cells was associated with an increase in the intercellular material which gradually changed from a mainly collagenous character to mainly vesicular. Lysosomal activity indicated cell disintegration. White blood cells adhere to the endothelium in hypertensive rats and there was an increase in subendothelial material. The number of intimal smooth-muscle cells increased noticeably in the femoral artery. In both arteries, the adventitial fibroblasts hypertrophied in hypertensive rats. In animals with an elevated blood pressure the morphological response was observed as early as 4 to 7 days after initiation of treatment.This work was supported by grants from the British Columbia Heart Foundation and the Medical Research Council of Canada.The authors are indebted to Miyoshi Nakashima for her invaluable assistance with these experiments.