Key result
Renal denervation cuts circumferential stress ~33% in hypertensive rats, restoring normal arterial biomechanics.
Why the study?
Renal denervation has emerged as a potential therapy for resistant hypertension, but its effects on the biomechanical response and microstructure of elastic arteries required investigation.
Does bilateral renal denervation improve the biomechanical response and microstructure of carotid arteries in a rat model of hypertension?
Does bilateral renal denervation improve the biomechanical response and microstructure of carotid arteries in a rat model of hypertension?
Absolute Event Rate: 92.1% vs 136.6%
p-value: p=<0.05
Renal denervation attenuates hypertension and restores the biomechanical properties of carotid arteries in a rat model of aging-associated hypertension.
May restore carotid biomechanics in hypertensive rat models; hypothesis-generating and leaves open human translation.
The prevalence of hypertension increases with aging and is associated with increased arterial stiffness. Resistant hypertension is presented when drug treatments fail to regulate a sustained increased blood pressure. Given that the mechanisms between the sympathetic nervous system and the kidney play an important role in blood regulation, renal denervation (RDN) has emerged as a therapeutic potential in resistant hypertension. In this study, we investigated the effects of RDN on the biomechanical response and microstructure of elastic arteries. Common carotid arteries (CCA) excised from 3-month, 8-month, and 8-month denervated rats were subjected to biaxial extension-inflation test. Our results showed that hypertension developed in the 8-month-old rats. The sustained elevated blood pressure resulted in arterial remodeling which was manifested as a significant stress increase in both axial and circumferential directions after 8 months. RDN had a favorable impact on CCAs with a restoration of stresses in values similar to control arteries at 3 months. After biomechanical testing, arteries were imaged under a multi-photon microscope to identify microstructural changes in extracellular matrix (ECM). Quantification of multi-photon images showed no significant alterations of the main ECM components, elastic and collagen fibers, indicating that arteries remained intact after RDN. Regardless of the experimental group, our microstructural analysis of the multi-photon images revealed that reorientation of the collagen fibers might be the main microstructural mechanism taking place during pressurization with their straightening happening during axial stretching.
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Gkousioudi et al. (2024) studied Hypertension (n=27). Renal denervation vs. Sham denervation / Hypertensive control was evaluated on Circumferential stress at mean arterial pressure (p=<0.05). Renal denervation in hypertensive rats significantly reduced circumferential stress from 136.6 kPa to 92.1 kPa, restoring arterial biomechanics to values similar to normotensive controls.
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