An autoradiographic and pathological study of cellular proliferation in rabbit arteries correlated with an increase in arterial pressure.

Following partial constriction of the abdominal aorta, and the increase in arterial pressure in vessels proximal to the ligature at 3, 6, 14, 21, and 28 days was correlated with pathological changes and with proliferation of cells in the arterial wall measured by 3H-thymidine labeling indices and mitotic counts. The time course of arterial pressure rise and vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation were similar. Patterns of proliferation of cells of the artery wall varied in distribution with time, the presence of absence of traumatic changes seen by light microscopy, and the histological structure of the vessel. Arteries not subject to hypertension did not differ from sham-operated animals.