[Development of the connective tissue in the wall of the rabbit aorta in experimental atherosclerosis].

Structural and functional characteristics of cells involved in collagen synthesis have been studied in experimental hypercholesterolemia in rabbits. Autoradiographic studies, using 3H-proline and 14C-hydroxyproline have demonstrated that collagen synthesis takes place only in the intima in the area of cellular proliferation. At earlier stages of experimental atherosclerosis collagen synthesis predominantly involves synthetic GABA phenotype, while at progressing stages fibroblasts are predominantly involved.