Week 1: circulatory pathology Flashcards
What are endothelial cells?
Cells that make up a continuous sheet lining the entire vascular tree
They regulate aspects of blood and blood vessel function.
What are some of the properties of blood vessels/blood that endothelial cells can regulate?
Permeability barrier
ECM
Anti-coagulant, anti-thrombotic and fibrinolytic regulators
Pro-thrombotic molecules
Blood flow and vascular reactivity
Inflammation and immunity
Cell growth
Oxidation of LDL
What maintains a normal basal state of endothelial cells and what is the result of this on endothelial cell properties?
Basal state is maintained by normotension, laminar flow and some growth factors (VEGFs)
This results in endothelial cells being non-ahdesive and non-thrombogenic.
What is meant by an endothelial cell in the activated state?
An endothelial cell that changes its function and properties due to pathological or physiological mechanisms.
What can trigger an endothelial cell to enter an activated state?
Pathological or physiological
Turbulent flow
Hypertension
Cyotkines
Complement
Pathogen products
Lipid products
Advanced glycation end-products
Hypoxia and acidosis
Cigarette smoke
What are some of the changes in endothelial cells properties and function in the activated state?
Increased pro-coagulants, adhesion molecules and proinflammatory factors
Altered chemokines, cytokines and growth factors.
What are the different properties of endothelial cells and what mediators do they use to express these properties?
What are the functions of vascular smooth muscle?
Can proliferate
Upregulate ECM collagen, elastin and proteoglycan production
Secrete growth factors and cytokines
Regulate vasoconstriction and vasodilation is response to physiologic or pharmacologic stimuli
What factors contribute to maintaining the quiescent state of Smooth muscle cells in the blood vessels?
Heparan sulphate
NO
Transforming Growth Factor TGF-beta
What factors contribute to a proliferative state of smooth muscle cells?
Platelet derived growth factor
Endothelin
Thrombin
Fibroblast Growth Factor
Inflammatory mediators (IFNy and IL-1)
How do you calculate blood pressure?
Cardiac output x peripheral resistance
What factors influence the cardiac output?
Heart rate
Contractility
Influences on blood volume - sodium, mineralcorticoid levels
What factors affect peripheral resistance?
Neural factors - constriction by alpha-adrenergic receptors, dilation by beta-adrenergic receptors
Humoral factors - constrictors (angiotensinogen, endothelin, thromboxane) and dilators (prostaglandin, kinins and NO)
Local factors - pH, hypoxia, autoregulation
How is angiotensin 2 produced in the RAAS system?
responsible for long term regulation of blood pressure
Low BP= low perfusion to kidney - production of renin from juxtaglomerular cells
Angiotensinogen produced by liver is converted to angiotensin 1 by renin.
Endothelium of lungs and kidneys contains ACE1 enzymes which convert angiotensin 1 to angiotensin 2.
What are the effects of angiotensin 2 in the RAAS system?
Binds to AT1 and AT2 receptors
Adrenal gland: increase aldosterone production, increase renal Na+ absorption
Hypothalamus: Increase ADH secretion, increase thirst signals and decrease sensitivity to baroreceptor responses
Systemic arterioles: vasoconstriction
Increases blood volume, greater venous return to heart leading to a greater cardiac output (Frank-Starling mechanism) leading to higher blood pressure.
What is hypertension as a pathological condition?
Persistent elevation of BP in systemic circulation, accelerates atherogenesis and degernerative changes in the walls of medium and large arteries.
Increase risk of aortic dissection and cerebrovascular haemorrhage
What are the two different types of arteriosclerosis and how are they different?
Hyperplastic arteriosclerosis
“onion skinning causing lumina obliteration”
Hyaline arteriosclerosis - hyalinized material to deposited thickening the wall
What condition is seen below?
Hyperplastic arteriosclerosis
“onion skinning causing lumina obliteration”
What condition is seen below?
Hyaline arteriosclerosis - hyalinized material to deposited thickening the wall
What is the aetiology of hypertension?
95% is essential ir idiopathic
5% secondary to renal disease, endocrine condition or neurological disease etc
What is the pathophysiology of essential hypertension?
Reduced renal sodium excretion
Increased vascular resistance
Genetic factors
Environmental factors
What are the renal causes of secondary HTN?
Acute glomerulonephritis
Chronic renal disease
Polycystic disease
Renal artery stenosis
Renal vasculitis
Renin-producing tumour
What are the endocrine causes of secondary HTN?
Adrenocortical hyperfunction
Exogenous hormones
Pheochromocytoma
Acromegaly
Hypo/hyperthyroidism
Pregnancy induced (pre-eclampsia)
What are the cardiovascular causes of secondary HTN?
Coarcttion of the aorta
Polyarteritis nodosa
Increased intravascular volume.
Increased cardiac output
Rigidity of the aorta
What are the neurological causes of secondary HTN?
Psychogenic
Increased intracranial pressure
Sleep apnoea
Acute stress, including surgery
What is the vascular response to injury?
Intimal Thickening*
Endothelial cells become dysfunctional, stimulating SMC growth and ECM synthesis resulting in thickening of the wall
In order to heal the vessel, SMC migrate to the intima. SMC proliferate and synthesise ECM, forming a neointima covered by an intact EC layer
What is Virchow’s triad in relation to thrombosis?
Three factors that all contribute the thrombosis formation.
Endothelial injury, hypercoagulability and abnormal blood flow.
Endothelial injury and abnormal blood flow have a positive feedback effect on each other, they both also increase hypercoagulability.
What is the result of endothelial injury in relation to thrombus formation?
Promotes platelet adhesion and aggregation
Causes the production of pro-coagulant factors
What are some pathological examples of endothelial injury?
Over ulcerates plaques in atherosclerosis
Endocardial injury in MI - mural thrombus
Traumatic or inflammatory vascular injury - vasculitis
How does an abnormal blood flow lead to thrombus formation? Examples?
Prevents the activation of blood diluting activated clotting factors
Stasis - as caused by venous thrombosis - platelets encounter endothelium and slow washout of activated clotting factors
Turbulence - (arterial, near valves) - can cause physical trauma to endothelial cells or can cause counter currents and pockets of stasis
What are the primary causes of a hypercoagulable state?
Leiden factor 5 mutation
Deficiency of antithrombin 111
Protein C and S (liver proteins)
What are the secondary causes of a hypercoagulable state?
Typically: increased concentration of fibrinogen and prothrombin
Immobilisation, MI, neoplasia, tissue damage, prosthetic valves, heparin induced thrombocytopenia syndrome, antiphospholipid syndrome
What are the two different types of thrombus?
Arterial thrombus
Venous thrombus
What are the features of an arterial thrombus?
Typically caused Secondary to atheroma or endothelial injury
Consist of platelets
Commonly found in the brain (MCA) and coronary arteries
Termed ‘white thrombus’
What are the features of a venous thrombus?
Typically caused by slow blood flow, stasis or low BP
Consist of rbcs, platelets and fibrin
Typically found in deep calf veins (can embolise to lungs) and hepatic portal vein.
‘red thrombus’
Endothelial walls express increased adhesion factors
What are the pathological features below?
Aortic thrombus from an aortic aneurysm
Shows lins of zahn, lines of fibrin and platelets.
What is shown in the image below?
Portal vein thrombosis
Note the gallbladder and IVC
What is shown in the image?
Renal vein thrombosis
Note dark red/black colour