Interstitial collagens and ageing in human aorta.

Types I and III collagen were identified in four segments of human aorta using pepsin and cyanogen bromide digestion followed by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Collagen is not uniformly distributed in the different segments of the arterial wall. Collagen type I is always the major collagen present. With ageing collagen type III decrease in quantity from the heart to the distal portion of the aorta. Histologically the elastic tissue is more altered in the lower abdominal section of aorta than in the arch. This study allowed a correlation between morphological observations and biochemical changes.