Effect of a reduced arterial axial pre-stretch ratio during aging on the cardiac output and cerebral blood flow in the healthy elders

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: It is an indisputable physiological phenomenon that the arterial axial pre-stretch ratio (AAPSR) decreases with age, but little attention has been paid to the effect of this reduction on chronic diseases during aging. METHODS: Here we reported an experimental method to simulate arteries aging, developed a fluid-structure interaction model with the effect of AAPSR changes, and compared it with the anatomy data and structural parameters of the human thoracic aorta. RESULTS: We showed that with the process of aging, the decrease of AAPSR leads to a decline of arterial elasticity, a decrease of arterial elastic strain energy, which weakens the ability to promote blood circulation, the corresponding decrease in cardiac output (CO) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) causes distal organ and body tissue ischemia, which is one of the main causes of increased blood pressure and decreased cerebral perfusion in the elderly. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, reduced AAPSR is the one of main manifestation of arteries aging and has an important impact on hypertension and hypoperfusion of the brain in the process of human aging. The research contributes to a better understanding of the physiological and pathological mechanisms of aging-related diseases.