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Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, Vol 53, Issue 4 B274-B280, Copyright © 1998 by The Gerontological Society of America
JOURNAL ARTICLE |
K-C Chang, T-F Tsai, C-Y Chow, Y-I Peng and T-J Chen
Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
This study was designed to explore the changes of mechanical properties in the rat's arterial system at different ages by using the exponentially tapered T-tube model. Long-Evans male rats at the ages of 6, 12, and 18 months were anesthetized and thoractomized. Rats at the ages of 6, 12, and 18 months were individually referred to as young, adult, and middle-aged rats. The pulsatile pressure and flow signals in the ascending aorta were measured by a high-fidelity pressure sensor and electromagnetic flow probe, respectively. Model parameters, such as aortic characteristic impedance, vascular tapering index, wave transmit time, and arterial load compliance were inferred from the aortic pressure and flow signals to describe the pulsatile nature of blood flows in the vasculature. The static hemodynamic condition in those animals with different ages was characterized by (i) no changes in cardiac output and (ii) a decrease in heart rate, arterial blood pressure, as well as total peripheral resistance. As for the pulsatile nature of the arterial system, the wave transit time remained unaltered, indicating there was no change in the aorta's distensibility of rats at those three different ages. The arterial load compliance, which describes the buffering nature of a hollow vessel, also remained unchanged. On the contrary, there was a significant fall in aortic characteristic impedance in those age-related rats. The decline of aortic characteristic impedance without a significant change in arterial distensibility suggests that lumen growth of the aorta and large arteries may occur in rats up to middle age.
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K.-C. Chang, Y.-I Peng, S.-H. Dai, and Y.-Z. Tseng Age-Related Changes in Pumping Mechanical Behavior of Rat Ventricle in Terms of Systolic Elastance and Resistance J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., September 1, 2000; 55(9): 440B - 447. [Abstract] [Full Text] |
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