Tokunaga O, Yamada T, Fan J L, Watanabe T
Department of Pathology, Saga Medical School, Japan.
Am J Pathol. 1991 Apr;138(4):941-9.
To investigate the functional alteration of human aortic endothelial cells with aging, prostacyclin synthesis was qualitatively and quantitatively examined. The endothelial cells of human aortas and umbilical veins or inferior vena cavae were immunohistochemically examined and found positive for prostacyclin, but the intensity of aortic endothelial cells from older subjects was low. In addition to the endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells in the thickened intima, not the media, of the aorta were also immunoreactive. Endothelial cells were successfully cultured from human aortas obtained from infants through aged subjects and were subdivided into three groups: young, middle, and old. Prostacyclin synthesis by endothelial cells from all types of blood vessels was extremely great at the primary culture, but decreased abruptly in the following subcultures. Among the aortic endothelial cells, the young group synthesized the largest amount of prostacyclin in a conventional culture condition, with synthesis progressively decreasing in the older groups. The in vitro prostacyclin biosynthesis was supported by the qualitative analysis on the tissue sections. These results indicate that prostacyclin synthesis of the aortic endothelial cells decreases with age, but intimal smooth muscle cells potentially have a back-up mechanism and substitute this synthesis to some extent. The decreased synthesis of prostacyclin with age may play an important role in the development and advancement of thrombosis and atherosclerosis.
为研究人主动脉内皮细胞随衰老的功能变化，对前列环素的合成进行了定性和定量检测。对人主动脉、脐静脉或下腔静脉的内皮细胞进行免疫组织化学检测，发现其前列环素呈阳性，但老年受试者主动脉内皮细胞的阳性强度较低。除内皮细胞外，主动脉增厚内膜而非中膜中的平滑肌细胞也呈免疫反应阳性。成功从婴儿至老年受试者的人主动脉中培养出内皮细胞，并将其分为三组：年轻组、中年组和老年组。所有类型血管的内皮细胞在原代培养时前列环素合成量极大，但在随后的传代培养中急剧下降。在主动脉内皮细胞中，年轻组在常规培养条件下合成的前列环素量最大，老年组的合成量则逐渐减少。组织切片的定性分析证实了体外前列环素的生物合成情况。这些结果表明，主动脉内皮细胞的前列环素合成随年龄增长而减少，但内膜平滑肌细胞可能具有一种备用机制，并在一定程度上替代这种合成。前列环素合成随年龄增长而减少可能在血栓形成和动脉粥样硬化的发生发展中起重要作用。
