Small artery structure and function: a dual interaction with many players.

摘要

The blood pressure is determined by cardiac output and resistance of the vascular system. Although the location of the resistance varies somewhat depending on the vascular bed under study and whether anesthetics are applied [1,2], it does reside in the distal part of the circulation mainly in small arteries or arterioles located proximally to the capillaries [3]. The development of microvascular myographs allowing the study of isolated vascular segments with small lumen diameters in the 1970s gave a breakthrough in the investigation of structure, function and pharmacology of small arteries [1,4], and the combination with other techniques, e.g. measurements of intracellular calcium, electrical field stimulation, electrochemical and electrophysiological techniques and sophisticated dynamic measurements using confocal microscopy further boosted the understanding of small artery structure and function [5-8]. Altered structure and function of the resistance arteries are of importance in a series of diseases, and the alterations are central in hypertension and for adaptation of the vasculature to supply tumours with blood [9,10]. Therefore, a profound knowledge of the structure and function of small arteries is pivotal for the understanding and development of drugs for treatment of these diseases as well as for prevention of end organ damage.