[Contractile properties of the smooth muscle cells of the aorta during development of experimental atherosclerosis].

Experiments were conducted on the isolated ring-shaped segments of rabbit aorta; the contractile reactions of the smooth muscle cells under the effect of catecholamines and KC1 were investigated at 27 and 37 degrees C both under normal conditions and at the initial stages of atherosclerosis. The contractile reactions of the atherosclerotic aorta stimulated by KC1 were lower in amplitude than those of the intact one; the opposite shifts were observed under the action of catecholamines. A decrease of the temperature reduced the contractile responses both under normal conditions and in atherosclerosis.