About the effect of risk factors on the structure and the proliferation of arterial wall cells. Part 2: Changes in structure and proliferation of cultivated aortic endothelial cells from hypertensive minipigs.

Cultured aortic endothelial cells (EC) from normotensive and hypertensive minipigs were studied in the second passage. Cytological measurements performed on confluent cultures of the same age in the second subculture revealed significant smaller surface areas and circumferences of EC and of their nuclei in the hypertensive group compared to those in the normotensive control group. The percentage of polynuclear EC was higher in cultures from hypertensive animals than in cultures from normotensive ones. EC derived from hypertensive minipigs differed from those of normotensive animals by a higher rate of proliferation as shown by 3H-thymidine labeling of the cells and by comparison of growth curves.