The effect of ballooning on minipig aortic prostacyclin formation - a time course.

The effect of a single endothelial injury with an arterial embolectomy catheter on minipig abdominal aorta prostacyclin formation was studied in 17 male animals as a function of time. The normal non deendothelialized abdominal aorta generated 4,41 pg PGI2/mg/min. One hour after endothelial injury PGI2-synthesis was decreased to the half; after two hours no PGI2-production could be detected. After 4 hours the PGI2-generation reached about the half of the strating values being thereafter nearly constant up to 24 hours. This experiment is presented as a model for studying early changes in PGI2-synthesis as it could occur during atherogenesis. The in vitro abrasion of endothelium demonstrated, that about 15% of the total PGI2 are formed by the endothelial sheet. Punching out the tissue samples revealed a strong correlation expressing PGI2-formation in terms of wet weight or surface area respectively.