Vascular calcium overload. Physiological and pharmacological consequences.

Pronounced vascular calcium overload, especially of compliance arteries, is an important aspect of aging, and of various age-related vascular diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. The development of new drugs specifically aimed at attenuating the evolution and/or pathological consequences of vascular calcium overload is hindered by the paucity of animal models available. Although several laboratory animals exhibit vascular calcium overload, this evolves slowly and is far less marked than in man. Nevertheless, Fleckenstein and associates (1989) suggested a suitable animal model involving the treatment of young rats with vitamin D3 and nicotine; such treatment produces pronounced vascular calcium overload within a few weeks. This paper describes the cardiovascular effects of such treatment, and our preliminary attempts to pharmacologically modify vascular calcium overload and its cardiovascular consequences.