Metabolic, Cardiovascular Disease Flashcards
Atherosclerosis
Disease affecting the innermost layer of large and medium side arteries
Plaques or atheroma which are deposits of fibrous tissues and lipids
Tunica intima
Endothelial cells separated by tight junction, scattered myointimal cells
A basement membrane underlying ECs. Have tight junctions and a thin cytoplasm for gas exchange
Functions of tunica intima
Regulation of blood flow
Barrier function
Blood clotting
Inflammation and immune function
Angiogenesis
Regulate BP
Tunica Media
Smooth muscle cell layers
Regulate flow by contraction and stabilise EC by secreting ECM and activating TGF-B
Elastic lamina layers - assist continuous flow
Tunica externa
Connective tissue containing:
Fibroblasts
Leukocytes
Nerves
Lymphatics
Blood vessels
Arterioles
small branches within tissues
Muscular arteries
e.g coronary arteries
media largely of smooth muscle cells
few elastic fibres
separate internal/external elastic laminae
Large elastic arteries
Aorta and common carotid
Prominent elastic laminae in their media
Internal/external elastic laminae continuous
Exposed to high pulsatile pressures
Elastic recoil assists the continuous flow
Aetiology of atherosclerosis
Still not completely understood
Four major positive risk factors of atherosclerosis
Hyperlipidaemia
Cigarette smoking
Hypertension
Diabetes mellitus
Negative risk factors of atherosclerosis
High levels of circulating HDL
Moderate alcohol consumption
Cardiovascular fitness
Pathogenesis of atherosclerosis
Initiation may involve endothelial cell injury
Progression involves most cellular components of the vessel wall
Atherosclerosis is an example of chronic inflammation
Endothelial cell injury
Caused by haemodynamic force
Chemical insults
Cytokines
May lead to:
ALtered permeability
Adhesion of leukocytes
Activation of thrombosis
Endothelial progenitors are recruited
Leukocyte migration into plaque
Circulating monocytes adhere to endothelial cells and enter the atherosclerotic lesion.
Differentiate into macrophages and ingest large amounts of oxidised lipoproteins and are called foam cells
Die by necrosis or apoptosis and cytoplasmic contents escape into the extracellular space.
Smooth muscle cell activation and migration
Macrophages, platelets and endothelial cells produce growth factors that activate vascular smooth muscle cells.
Smooth muscles migrate and proliferate into the tunica intima through failures of IEL
Lipoprotein entry and oxidation
Oxidised lipoproteins attract monocytes and release cytokines and growth factors. Cause dysfunction and apoptosis in smooth muscle cells, macrophages and endothelial cells
Aneurysm can be caused by…
Mural thrombosis
Embolization
Wall weakening
Occlusion by thrombus can be caused by…
Plaque rupture
Plaque erosion
Plaque hemorrhage
Mural thrombosis
Embolization
Critical stenosis can be caused by
Progressive plaque growth and ischemia
Consequences of atherosclerosis
Atheroma are often silent
Plaques become unstable/vulnerable
- thin fibrous cap at luminal aspect of plaque
- high lipid content of core
- inflammation
causes symptoms due to
- Rupture
-haemorrhage
-thrombosis
-dissection
Common clinical consequences of atherosclerosis
Myocardial infarction
Peripheral vascular disease
Cerebrovascular disease
Haemostasis
Haemostasis is the physiological response of a blood vessel to injury. Serves to prevent blood loss by plugging leaks in injured vessels. In healthy vessels, haemostasis is off to maintain the blood in a fluid state
Endothelial cells inhibit haemostasis by
Physically insulating tissues from blood
Producing enzymatic and chemical inhibitors of platelet activation
Nitric Oxide (NO)
Prostacyclins
Producing antithrombin on their surface which binds and inactivates the coagulation enzyme thrombin
Haemostasis is accomplished between
Endothelial cells
Platelets
Clotting cascade
Endothelial cells promoting haemostasis by…
Produce endothelin which causes vasoconstriction
Loss of endothelial barrier, activating platelets and coagulation cascade
Produce von Willebrand factor, promoting platelet adhesion to ECM exposed by vessel injury
Produce tissue factor = thromboplastin which activates coagulation cascade
Platelets
Produced by cytoplasmic fragmentation of megakaryocytes in bone marrow
Lifespan of 7 days
Chocolate chip structure - alpha and dense granules that contain chemical mediators of haemostasis
Platelets promote haemostasis by
They become activated by ECM proteins
Secrete chemical signals including Thromboxane A2, vasoactive amines and ADP
Signals promote combination of vasoconstriction and platelet aggregation
Reduced platelets
Purpura (bleeding from skin capillaries)
Major spontaneous haemorrhage
Coagulation cascade promoting haemostasis
Coagulation system is a cascade of proteolytic reactions
Zymogens are activated
Cascade is initiated by several stimuli including tissue factor
Activation of thrombin catalyses fibrinogen -> fibrin monomers
Fibrin polymerise into fibrin strands
Fibrin strands form a meshwork with fused platelets to form a stable plug
Counter-regulatory mechanisms limit haemostatic plug to the site of injury
Thrombosis
Thrombus - Mass formed from blood constituents with the circulation during life
Thrombi are made of fibrin, platelets and entrapped RBC and WBC
May form in arteries or veins
Obstruct lumen, or break off as an embolus
Blood clot
Formed in static blood
Clot is soft, jelly-like, unstructured and composed of a random mixture of blood cells suspended in serum proteins
Virchow’s Triad components
Endothelial injury
Abnormal blood flow
Hypercoagulability
Types of endothelial injury
Atherosclerosis
Hypoxia
Infection/inflammation
Physical damage - crushing veins and haemodynamic stress
Chemical damage
Formation of thrombi
Artificial surfaces can activate the intrinsic coagulation cascade, bind pro-inflammatory complement cascade proteins and bind other proteins that may activate platelets
Vascular implant patients must take anticoagulant drugs
Abnormal blood flow
Turbulence caused by narrowing, aneurysms, infarcted myocardium and abnormal cardiac rhythm
In veins, stasis (pooling of venous blood) causes this
- Failure of RHS of heart
- Immobilisation
- Compressed veins
- Varicose veins
- blood viscosity
Changes to blood cause
Platelets coming into contact with endothelium
Impaired removal of pro-coagulant factors
Impaired delivery of anti-coagulant factors
Directly cause injury or activation of endothelium
Atherosclerotic plaques which are pro-coagulant
Genetic causes of hypercoagulability
Deficiency of antithrombin III
Deficiency protein C
Acquired causes of hypercoagulability
Tissue damage
- acute phase response from liver
- pro inflam/pro coag/ complement
- cytokines causes platelet release
Post-operative
Malignancy
Cigarette smoke
Elevated blood lipids
Oral contraceptives
Mechanisms to limit coagulation
Antithrombins
Proteins C & S - vitamin K dependent
Tissue factor pathway inhibitor
Arterial thrombosis
Formation of thrombosis in arteries
Mural thrombosis
Form along wall of heart or blood vessel and are usually after infarctions
Venous thrombosis
Thrombosis formation in veins which can lead to embolization to lungs
Pulmonary Thromboembolus
Blood clot deep in deep veins of the leg
Emboli
Intravascular mass carried by blood flow from its point of origin to distant site
Types of emboli
Thrombus
Fat
Air
Atheromatous Debris
Bone marrow
Amniotic fluid
Effects of emboli
Stenosis - narrowing of vessels leading to occlusion
Emboli from leg veins will lodge in pulmonary artery (pulmonary embolus). Causes pulmonary infarction, reduced CO, right heart failure, in worst case death
Emboli from left side of heart or aorta will enter the systemic arterial system and may pass to the brain, spleen, kidney, gut, legs, etc
Ischaemia
Inadequate local blood supply to a tissue
Hypoxia
deficiency of oxygen which causes cell injury by reducing aerobic respiration
Anoxia
complete lack of oxygen
Infarction
necrosis of a tissue due to ischaemia
Causes of iscahemia
external occlusion - tumours
internal occlusion - atherosclerosis
Spasm
Capillary blockage
Shock
Increased demand
Venous obstruction
Susceptibility of different cells with increasing sensitivity to ischaemia
Fibroblasts and macrophages
Skeletal muscle
Myocardium
Renal proximal tubular epithelium
Neurons
Ischaemia
If doesn’t kill - reduces ATP and activation of signalling cascades
Ischaemia causes decreased ATP by
Decreased oxidative phosphorylation with down the line leads to ER swelling, cellular swelling, loss of microvilli, blebs, clumping of nuclear chromatin and lipid deposition
Apoptosis vs necrosis
apoptosis requires energy so not in ischemic cells