Immuno-biological and histochemical analysis of the influence on the progress of the arteriosclerosis by the chronic alcohol intake

2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 12670393
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Legal medicine
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: UENO Myasuhiro Kobe University, Graduate School of Medicine, Professor, 大学院・医学系研究科, 教授 (30184956)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): ASANO Migiwa Kobe University, Graduate School of Medicine, Assistant, 大学院・医学系研究科, 助手 (90283879) ; ADACH Junko Kobe University, Graduate School of Medicine, Associate Professor, 大学院・医学系研究科, 助教授 (40030887)
• Project Period (FY): 2000 – 2001
• Keywords: Alcohol / Arteriosclerosis / C-type natriuretic peptide / Arterial endothelium

Research Abstract

Method : We obtained the abdominal aorta and coronary artery (anterior descending branch) from autopsy at Department of Legal Medicine, Kobe University School of Medicine. We compared the expression of C-type Natriuretic Peptide (CNP) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) in the heavy drinking group (six males and two females, the average age of 59.6±8.98) with those in the control group (four males and five females, the average age of 66.0±10.7). Both groups have the same conditions on atherosclerotic promotion factors, age, etc. After the formalin fixation, we made the tissue sections in paraffin embedding. Immunostaining of CNP and VEGF as well as the usual stainings was made in the vascular endothelial cell, and compared the degrees of staining of both groups.
Results : (1) The degree of arteriosclerosis in the coronary artery of the heavy drinking group was lower than the control group from the macroscopic viewpoint and HE, Azan, and EVG stainings. On the other hand, there was no difference in the aorta between the two groups.
(2) In both groups, the coronary arteries were stained more strongly than the aorta in CNP staining. There was no obvious difference of the CNP expression in the endothelium of the aorta between the two groups, however, the coronary artery in the heavy drinking group was stained more strongly than the control group. It suggested the increase of CNP expression in the coronary artery in the heavy drinking group.
(3) Both of the aorta and the coronary artery, the number of VEGF positive cells in the heavy drinking group is comparatively fewer than that in the control group. The result suggested the possibility that the slight arteriosclerosis in the heavy drinking group related to the suppression of VEGF expression by alcohol.