Influence of hypertension, sex, and estrogen on metabolism of swine arteries

Abstract

To produce hypertension the aorta was partially constricted in 7 Yorkshire swine proximal to the brachiocephalic artery. Seven littermates served as controls. After 6-7 months, pressure measurements verified hypertension in the prestenotic area. At this time, the aorta, pulmonary, and coronary arteries were removed and incubated in Krebs-Ringer phosphate buffer, and glucose utilization, lactic acid production, and oxygen consumption determined. Considering the parameters measured, the aorta and pulmonary arteries were metabolically similar whereas the coronary arteries were less active. Hypertension produced an increase in glucose utilization and lactic acid production of the aorta, but not of the hypertensive coronary arteries. Estradiol-17B added to the incubation media increased glycolytic energy production in arterial tissue only from female animals. Arterial tissues from females appeared to contain larger supplies of endogenous substrate than tissues from males. Results show that the metabolic characteristics of these arteries differ and that the influence of factors known to predispose to atherosclerosis is not identical for all arteries.