| Coronary atherosclerosis (AS) is the main cause of death in patients of coronary heart disease. In the years of 1970's, a large scale pathological survey showed that the prevalence rate of AS was higher in the North part of China than that in the South. Further study in the middle 1980's confirmed that the prevalence rate and degree of aorta atherosclerotic lesions in youth were higher and more serious in specimens collected from Beijing area (North) than that from Nanning (South). From 1991-1994, 302 hearts were collected from the young subjects (aged 15~39) of accidental death from Beijing area (a high prevalence district of AS), Nanning and Ningbo areas ( the low prevalence district of AS). In order to carry on a comparative investigation on AS lesions in the coronary arteries, the morphological characteristics of AS plaques were analyzed between specimens collected from the aged people (age 52-85) died of CHD, and the young people for control in Beijing.Arterial smooth muscle (SMC) proliferation and increase of collagen fibers play an important role in atherogenesis. Although a great progress has been achieved on modulation of SMC proliferation and the synthesis of collagen, the mechanisms are far from clear. Data from animal experiment indicated that the complex of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) and lipoprotein could promote the deposition of lipid in the arterial wall and accelerate the development of AS. On the other hand, the heparin-like substances (including heparin and heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG)) might inhibit the development of AS by against platelet deposition, SMC proliferation and adhesion of the monocytes. Anyhow reports involving the study on the distribution and changes of CSPG as well as HSPG with atherogenesis in human coronary arteries are scanty.In this study, SMC proliferation, collagen deposition, distribution and changes of CSPG and HSPG in human coronary arteries were investigated for the sake of clarifying the relationship between these factors and atherogenesis using various techniques... |
