atherosclerosis Flashcards
what is the middle of an artery called
lumen
the artery is made of three layers. these are:
tunica intima
tunica media
adventitia
what does atherosclerosis cause
hardening of the arteries
atherosclerosis is the principle cause of heart attack, strokes and gangrene of the extremeties T/F
T
when does atherosclerosis cause the most problems
plaque ruptures leading to thrombus formation
what does atherosclerosis always begin with
an insult to the artery wall (damage to endothelial cells)
which risk factors of athersclerosis cause endothelial cell dysfunction
dyslipidaemia
diabetes (type 2)
smoking
what is the biggest risk factor of atherosclerosis
age
where are atherosclerotic plaques found
within the peripheral and coronary arteries
what is the distribution of atherosclerotic plaques governed by
haemodynamic factors
which areas are prone to atherosclerosis
bifurcations - one artery branching into 2 or bending
an atherosclerotic plaque is a complex lesion consisting of what (4)
lipid
necrotic core
connective tissue
fibrous cap
eventually an atherosclerotic plawue will occlude (block) the vessel lumen this results in
restriction in blood flow (angina)
or rupture of blood vessel
the healthy endothelium produces …. and other mediators to protect against atherosclerosis
NO
when there is endothelial dysfunction this alters NO biosynthesis which predisposes to atherosclerosis T/F
T
when there is damaged endothelial cells what are released and a concentration gradient produced
chemoattractants
what do damaged endothelial cells also express
adhesion molecules
what are the steps to the adhesion cascade
- damaged endothelial cells express adhesion molecules such as selectins
- neutrophils are captured by selectins which cause them to slow doen and roll along vessel wall
- leukocytes express integrins. these bind adhesion molecules on endothelial cells
- stimulates retraction of endothelial cells so neutrophils can move into tissue by chemotaxis
what is another stimulus of atherosclerosis
LDL
how is LDL a stimulus of atherosclerosis
LDL is oxidised by free radicals
oxidised LDL is engulfed by macrophages to form foam cells
foam cells release more pro-inflammatory cytokines - more macroophages engulf more LDL causing formation of fatty streak
intermediate lesions in the progression of atherosclerosis are composed of layers of what
- foam cells
- vascular smooth muscle cells
- T lymphocytes
- adhesion and aggregatin of platelets to vessel wall
- isolated pools of extracellular lipids
what is reverse cholesterol transport
pathway for plaque reduction involving HDL
HDL contains …. particles that interact with foam cells to collect cholesterol. mature HDL then travels to liver to release cholesterol
apo-A1
for progression of atherosclerosis and formation fo fibrous plaques or advanced regions you need an added impetus eg
another risk factor or an area of disturbed flow
dense fibrous cap overlies
lipid rich core
cap is made of
extracellular matrix proteins
lipid core is made of
necrotic and apoptotic debris, smooth muscle cells, foam cells, macrophages and T lymphocytes
fibrous cap has to be reabsorbed and redeposited in order to be maintained T/F
T
large numbers of macrophages predispose plaques to rupture. How?
increase matrix metalloproteins (degrade cap) so cap becomes weak
plaque rupture provides a substrate for what
thrombus formation and vessel occulus
plaque rupture/erosion is induced by what
cholesterol crystallisation