Mesenteric artery remodeling and effects of imidapril and irbesartan on it in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Figure 1 Morphology of mesenteric artery, A: Intima, media of vessel wall are not increased in WKY group and vessel lumen is relatively wider (HE, × 100). B: Intima, media of vessel wall are increased in SHR group and vessel lumen is relatively narrow (HE, × 400). C: Intima, media of vessel wall are increased in imidapril group and lumen of vessel is relatively narrow (HE, × 400). D: Intima, media of vessel wall are increased in irbesartan group and lumen of vessel is relatively narrow (HE, × 400).

Figure 2 Microstructure of mesenteric arteries (transmission electron microscope), A: WKY group, endothelial cells of in-tima were abundant and normal, Media has more smooth muscle cells, internal elastic lamina is normal (× 2000). B: SHR group, endothelial cells of intima had vacuole and fibrous tis-sue with adventitial hyperplasia; thickness of the adventitia was increased; media was severely fibrous and the fibrous tissue extended to smooth muscle layer and invaded internal elastic lamina; internal elastic lamina was tortuous and atrophic; some of smooth muscle cells were replaced by fibrous tissue (× 2500). C: Irbesartan group, endothelial cells of intima have vacuole and marrow type corpses, internal elastic lamina was tortuous and atrophic and infiltrated by collagen fibers (× 2500). D: Imidapril group, endothelial cells of intima have marrow type corpses but no vacuole, numbers of smooth muscle cells in media were more than those in irbesartan group; internal elastic lamina got a close-to-normal distribution; local internal elastic lamina got narrow, fibrosis did not occur on blood ves-sel wall (× 2000).

Figure 3 Agarose gel electrophoresis of TGF-β₁ and c-Jun mRNA RT-PCR product of mesenteric arteries, A: Agarose gel (2%) electrophoresis of TGF-β₁ mRNA RT-PCR product of me-senteric arteries of 4 groups. 1: WKY group GAPDH, 2: SHR group GAPDH, 3: irbesartan group, 4: imidapril group, 5: SHR group, 6: WKY group, 7: irbesartan group GAPDH, 8: pGEM-7Zf (+)/Hae III markers (from top to bottom: 102, 142, 174, 267, 289, 328, 434, 657 bp), 9: imidapril group GAPDH. B: Agarose gel (2%) electrophoresis of c-Jun mRNA RT-PCR product of mesenteric arteries of 4 groups. 1: SHR group GAPDH, 2: WKY group GAPDH, 3: irbesartan group, 4: imidapril group, 5: SHR group, 6: WKY group, 7: irbesartan group GAPDH, 8: pGEM-3Zf (+)/Hae III markers (from top to bottom: 18, 80, 102, 174, 267, 314, 434, 587 bp), 9: imidapril group GAPDH.