A Novel Apparatus for the Multifaceted Evaluation of Arterial Function Through Transmural Pressure Manipulation

• Published in: Annals of biomedical engineering Vol. 45; no. 6; pp. 1487 - 1495
• Main Authors: Yaguchi, Toshiyuki, Cong, Yalin, Shimo, Kenji, Kurokawa, Takahiro, Sugita, Shukei, Nagayama, Kazuaki, Masuda, Hiroshi, Matsumoto, Takeo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.06.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Aged; Airtightness; Arterial Pressure; Arteriosclerosis; Atherosclerosis; Biochemistry; Biological and Medical Physics; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering; Biomedicine; Biophysics; Blood pressure; Brachial Artery - physiology; Classical Mechanics; Contraction; Female; Humans; Male; Mechanical properties; Middle Aged; Modulus of elasticity; Muscle contraction; Muscle function; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular - physiology; Physiology; Smooth muscle; Stiffening; Stiffness; Strain; Ultrasound; Veins & arteries; Young Adult; Smooth muscle cell; Endothelial cell; Bayliss effect; Flow-mediated dilation; Atherosclerosis
• ISSN: 0090-6964; 1573-9686
• DOI: 10.1007/s10439-017-1810-z

A novel apparatus for the multifaceted evaluation of artery function was developed. It measures endothelial and smooth muscle functions and the pressure–strain elastic modulus ( E p ). A rigid airtight chamber with an ultrasound probe was attached to the upper arm to manipulate the transmural pressure of the brachial artery. Endothelial function was measured via a standard flow-mediated dilation (FMD) protocol. Smooth muscle function was evaluated via a myogenic contraction of the artery following the application of negative pressure to the chamber and was named pressure-mediated contraction (PMC). E p was obtained by measuring the instantaneous increase in the artery diameter following the negative pressure application. The PMC and FMD values had a significant negative correlation with age, indicating that the age-related decrease in FMD is caused by the decay of endothelial and smooth muscle function. A consideration of PMC may help improve the accuracy of artery function measurement. E p in subjects aged >40 years was found to be significantly higher in the supra-physiological pressure range than in the physiological one ( p  = 0.02); this did not occur in younger subjects. Artery stiffening may begin in the supra-physiological range, and this stiffness may also be used for the diagnosis of atherosclerosis.