Evidence for increased protein synthesis in myocardial microvessels after chronic sympathectomy in the dog.

Using histochemical methods, evidence of increased protein synthesis was observed in microvessels (diameter less than 100 micrometers) from dog hearts which had been sympathectomized 2 weeks earlier when compared to controls. Such evidence consisted of increased staining intensity for the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and for the nucleic acids RNA and DNA. Increases in reaction intensities were noted in approximately 30% of the microvessels examined from the sympathectomized hearts, and may imply a vascular proliferation in these hearts. However, since no increase in capillary density was observed in sympathectomized hearts, a vascular proliferation, if it occurred, may have been involved in development of the coronary collateral circulation. These data support previous results indicating that collateral resistances are reduced following chronic cardiac sympathectomy while resistance of the coronary vascular bed itself is not altered.