Oxygen Consumption of Normal and Atherosclerotic Intima

Abstract

This investigation has been a comparison of the intimal metabolism of the aorta in normal and atherosclerotic rabbits, and at various aortic locations. The thinnest possible layer of tissue was separated from the inner surface of the aorta. This layer proved to be intima with a small and fairly constant amount of media (smooth muscle). The intima from the animals rendered atherosclerotic by cholesterol-feeding showed a much higher rate of oxygen consumption than the controls when succinate was used as a substrate. Moreover, the most atherosclerotic area (the aortic arch) showed a higher oxygen consumption than the less atherosclerotic areas (the thoracic and abdominal areas). This acceleration of oxygen consumption is presumably due to either an increased energy requirement (for either accelerated synthesis or catabolism) or an uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation.