Treating atherosclerosis: targeting risk factors should not be the only option

Effect of vasa vasorum in cerebrovascular compensation: 2 case reports

Intracranial vasa vasorum (VV) are rare and develop predominantly in the proximal segments of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and vertebral artery (VA). The typical appearance of intracranial VV has not yet been reported in clinical practice. Although VV in the ICA have been found to re-institute the collateral flow, bypassing the obstructive segment, far less attention has been paid to the manner in which VV can connect the two ends of the obstructive segment through the plaque. In this study, we present two cases and discuss the positive effects of VV. In our first case, a patient with basilar artery (BA) occlusion and multiple infarcts in the posterior circulation territory received endovascular treatment. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) showed the existence of VV, which originated from the proximal BA lumen, penetrated through the vessel wall, bypassed the obstructive segment, re-penetrated through the vessel wall, and reconnected to the distal BA lumen. Balloon angioplasty was performed, specifically avoiding the path of the VV, then the VV had disappeared in follow-up angiography. In our second case, a patient who had been diagnosed with occlusion in the initial segment of the left ICA two years ago suffered a stroke. DSA revealed that the VV collaterals penetrated directly through the plaque of obstructive site and reconnected to the distal vessel lumen, which caused low hemodynamic compensation. Angioplasty was performed directly following the VV path, then follow-up angiography showed the VV had disappeared. Arterial occlusion, including in the intracranial and extracranial artery, could trigger the occurrence of VV, which can improve downstream perfusion. VV also could play a role of signal light in endovascular treatment.

Isolation and culture of rat aortic endothelial cells in vitro: A novel approach without collagenase digestion

To study cardiovascular diseases, the isolation and culture of functional endothelial cells are very important. This study uncovered a novel approach to isolate and culture endothelial cells. The thoracic aorta was collected from Wistar rats with the attached tissue clearly removed. These aorta segments were seeded onto a six-welled plate with the endothelium facing down and removed 2 days after endothelial sprouting started. The endothelial cells were harvested until 80% uneven confluence and cultured for another two passages for use in the following assays: immunofluorescence and flow cytometry assays for endothelial marker expression (CD31 and von Willebrand factor [vWF]), the Dil-labeled acetylated low-density lipoprotein (Dil-Ac-LDL) uptake assay, the tube formation assay, the Hoechst staining apoptosis assay, the β-galactosidase staining assay for cell senescence, and the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay for cell viability. Morphologically, the endothelial cells started to migrate away from the aorta after 50 to 72 hours of culture, showing a cobblestone-like structure. The cultured cells expressed high levels of CD31 and vWF, 94.65% of the cells were positive for CD31, and most of the cells showed low-density lipoprotein uptake. They were able to form tube-like structures in vitro and were negatively stained for β-galactosidase or Hoechst staining. Importantly, the cells at passages 3 and 10 showed similar levels of CCK-8, β-galactosidase, Hoechst staining, uptake of Dil-Ac-LDL, and capillary tube formation. This novel technique is useful to isolate and culture rat aortic endothelial cells for future studies of endothelial functions and biology. In addition, primary vascular endothelial cells at passages 3 to 10 are suitable for experiments.