Augmented responses to vasoconstrictor stimuli in hypercholesterolemic and atherosclerotic monkeys.

We examined effects of hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis on vasoconstrictor responses to norepinephrine and serotonin. Responses were compared in normal, atherosclerotic, and hypercholesterolemic but non-atherosclerotic cynomolgus monkeys. The hindlimb was perfused at constant flow so that changes in perfusion pressure indicated changes in vascular resistance. We measured the pressure gradient from the iliac to the dorsal pedal artery so that responses of the large artery segment could be determined. Serotonin decreased total hindlimb resistance in normal and hypercholesterolemic monkeys, but increased total resistance in atherosclerotic monkeys. There was a greater than 10-fold increase in constrictor responses of large arteries to serotonin in atherosclerotic monkeys, compared with normal and hypercholesterolemic monkeys. In contrast, we found that vasoconstrictor responses to norepinephrine are normal in atherosclerotic monkeys and increased in hypercholesterolemic monkeys prior to development of atherosclerosis. Hypercholesterolemia augmented responses of small vessels to norepinephrine. We conclude that, during early stages of hypercholesterolemia in cynomolgus monkeys, vasoconstrictor responses to norepinephrine are increased in small vessels. At a later stage, as atherosclerosis develops, responses to norepinephrine return to normal, but vasoconstrictor effects of large arteries to serotonin are greatly potentiated.