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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Dec 1.
Published in final edited form as: Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2009 Oct 22;29(12):2083–2089. doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.109.193227

Figure 2. Mechanical testing of wild-type and mutant arteries.

Figure 2

Panels A and B: Pressure-diameter curves of ascending aorta (A) and left common carotid artery (B) of the indicated genotypes. Vertical solid-line arrows indicate the outer diameter of WT (black) and Eln+/− (grey) aorta, and dotted lines indicate the outer diameter of Fbn1+/− (black) and dHet (grey) aorta at their respective physiological pressures. Compared with WT aorta, line graphs in Panel A show significant reduction of Eln+/− outer diameter at 0, 25, 125, 150 and 175 mmHg (p≤ 0.05); significant increase of Fbn1+/− outer diameter between 50 and 150 mmHg (p≤ 0.05); and reduced or increased outer diameter of dHet aorta at 0, 125, 150 and 175 mmHg, and at 75 and 100 mm Hg, respectively (p≤ 0.05). Line graphs also show that outer diameter of dHet aorta is larger than Eln+/− at pressure ≥ 50 mmHg (p≤ 0.05) and smaller than Fbn1+/− at 25, 75, 125, 150, and 175 mmHg (p≤ 0.05), whereas the outer diameter of Eln +/- aorta is smaller than Fbn1+/− at all pressures (p≤ 0.05). Line graphs in Panel B show significant reductions in outer diameters of Eln+/− left common carotids at 0 and 100 mmHg and above compared with WT (p≤ 0.05), and above 0 mmHg compared to Fbn1+/− (p≤ 0.05). Line graphs also show no differences between Fbn1+/− and WT carotids (p> 0.05), overlapping values between dHet and Eln+/− carotids (p> 0.05), smaller values than Fbn1+/− at all pressures (p≤ 0.05), and smaller values than WT at all pressures except 50 mm Hg (p≤ 0.05). Arteries were held at the in vivo longitudinal stretch ratio during testing. Values are means ± SD; n = 4–6 for each artery type and genotype. Panel C: Line graphs of the percent diameter change plotted against pressure show higher than WT values at 50 and 75 mmHg, and lower than WT values between 125 and 175 mmHg (p≤ 0.05) of the Eln+/− and Fbn1+/− aorta; and higher values between 25 and 75 mmHg and lower values at 100 mmHg and above (p≤ 0.05) of the dHet aorta compared to WT. The dHet aorta also has less percent diameter change than Fbn1+/− at 100 and 125 mmHg (p≤ 0.05). Panel D: Line graphs of Einc plotted against pressure show no differences between the dHet and Eln+/− aorta, and between the Eln+/− and Fbn1+/− aorta at any pressure (p > 0.05); lower dHet than WT values at pressures below 75mmHg and higher dHet than WT values above 100mmHg, and higher dHet than Fbn1+/− values at 125 mmHg (p≤ 0.05); lower Eln+/− than WT values at 50 mmHg and higher Eln+/− than WT values at 125 mmHg (p≤ 0.05); and higher Fbn1+/− than WT values at 125 mmHg (p≤ 0.05). Values are means ± SD; n = 4–6 for each genotype.