Abstract 20330: Cerebral Artery Dysfunction in a Mouse Model of Greater Large Artery Stiffness

Advancing age, as well as diseases such as diabetes, are characterized by increased large artery stiffness and increased cerebrovascular disease risk. It has been hypothesized that cerebral artery dysfunction connects these events; however a cause-and-effect relation between large artery stiffening and altered cerebral artery dilation and constriction has not been established. We studied elastin heterozygous mice (Eln+/-) as a model of increased large artery stiffness without co-morbidity. Eln+/- mice had ~35% greater aortic stiffness (pulse wave velocity) compared with Eln+/+ (p=0.04), but stiffness of the middle cerebral artery (MCA, ex vivo passive response) was similar between groups (p>0.05). MCA endothelium-dependent dilation (EDD), assessed by the maximal dilation to acetylcholine, was ~40% lower in Eln+/- compared with Eln+/+ (p 0.05), indicating that reduced NO bioavailability mediated ...