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(Circulation. 1995;92:898-903.)
© 1995 American Heart Association, Inc.

Articles

Dietary Correction of Hypercholesterolemia in the Rabbit Normalizes Endothelial Superoxide Anion Production

Yuichi Ohara, MD; Timothy E. Peterson, MS; Hassan S. Sayegh, MD; Romesh R. Subramanian, MS; Josiah N. Wilcox, PhD; David G. Harrison, MD

From the Divisions of Cardiology (Y.O., T.E.P., H.S.S., D.G.H.) and Hematology/Oncology (R.R.S., J.N.W.), Emory University School of Medicine, and the Atlanta Veterans Administration Medical Center (D.G.H.), Atlanta, Ga.

Correspondence to David G. Harrison, MD, Cardiology Division, PO Box Drawer LL, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322.

	Abstract

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Background We have shown that hypercholesterolemia increases vascular superoxide anion (O₂^-) production, which could be responsible for augmented inactivation of endothelium-derived vascular relaxing factor. We sought to determine whether this increased vascular O₂^- production is due to infiltration of macrophages into the intima and whether dietary treatment of hypercholesterolemia normalizes O₂^- production.

Methods and Results A specific and sensitive assay for O₂^- based on chemiluminescence of lucigenin was used; the amount of O₂^- produced by vascular ring segments was quantified based on known quantities of O₂^- produced by xanthine–xanthine oxidase standards. O₂^- production of aortic segments from normal rabbits (n=9), cholesterol-fed rabbits (1% cholesterol diet for 1 month, n=7), and rabbits fed a 1% cholesterol diet for 1 month followed by a normal diet for 1 month (regression rabbits, n=5) was measured. At the end of these diets, serum cholesterol levels were 1.5±0.2, 26.0±3.9, and 1.8±0.5 mmol/L (58±6, 1000±150, and 71±19 mg/dL) in the normal, cholesterol-fed, and regression animals, respectively. Vessels from normal rabbits with endothelium produced 0.32±0.06 nmol O₂^-/mg dry wt per minute, whereas those without endothelium produced approximately twice as much O₂^- (0.66±0.12 nmol O₂^- mg dry wt per minute. Vessels with endothelium from cholesterol-fed rabbits produced 4.5-fold more O₂^- than vessels from normal animals. This increased production of O₂^- was normalized by endothelial removal. This increased production of O₂^- was not due to infiltration of macrophages in the intima, because there was no correlation between vascular O₂^- production and macrophage infiltration assessed by immunohistochemistry with use of a specific antibody against rabbit macrophage. O₂^- production by vessels from regression rabbits was similar to that observed in normal animals, and as in the normal rabbits, endothelial removal increased O₂^- production. Aortic rings from these animals also were studied in organ chambers. Dietary lowering of cholesterol dramatically improved vasodilator responses to acetylcholine and A23187 (P<.05 versus cholesterol-fed rabbits).

Conclusions Dietary lowering of cholesterol not only improves endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation but also normalizes endothelial O₂^- production. Decreases of O₂^- production by dietary lowering of cholesterol not only may improve vasomotor control but also may improve other aspects of vascular integrity in atherosclerosis.

Key Words: hypercholesterolemia • macrophages • free radicals • endothelium-derived factors • vasodilation

	Introduction

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The endothelium modulates vasomotor tone by release of an endothelium-derived relaxing factor now known to be nitric oxide¹ or a closely related compound.² This important function of the endothelium is impaired in the presence of several common diseases, including hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis.^{3 4 5 6} The mechanisms underlying this abnormality of vascular function have been the subject of substantial research and probably are multifactorial. One contributing factor may be excessive production of superoxide anion (O₂^-),^{7 8} which can inactivate nitric oxide.⁹ Treatment with polyethylene-glycol superoxide dismutase improves endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation in cholesterol-fed rabbits, providing indirect evidence for increased vascular O₂^- production in hypercholesterolemia.⁸ Recently, using lucigenin chemiluminescence, we have found that aortas from hypercholesterolemic rabbits produce substantially more O₂^- than control rabbit aortas.⁷ In these studies, endothelial removal normalized O₂^- production, indicating that the source of the O₂^- was not the smooth muscle layer but the endothelial cell itself or monocyte-macrophages closely associated with the endothelium. Oxypurinol also normalized O₂^- production in these vessels, suggesting a role of xanthine oxidase as a source of O₂^-.

There has been substantial interest in therapeutic means to correct alterations of endothelial function in hypercholesterolemia. In hypercholesterolemic animals, cholesterol lowering via either dietary or pharmacological means can improve endothelium-dependent vascular relaxations.^{10 11} Recent studies in human subjects have shown that large coronary artery responses to acetylcholine can be converted to a modest degree of vasodilatation by 6 months of aggressive lipid-lowering therapy.¹²

If alteration of endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation is in part due to excess production of O₂^-, then it would follow that improvement of hypercholesterolemia would not only improve relaxations to endothelium-dependent vasodilators but also lower O₂^- production. The present experiments were performed to test this hypothesis. A second aim of this study was to determine whether the increase in O₂^- production in cholesterol-fed rabbit aortas correlated with the degree of macrophage infiltration.

	Methods

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Animal Model and Vessel Preparation
Three groups of New Zealand White rabbits were studied. The control group of animals (n=9) was fed standard rabbit chow. Plasma cholesterol level of control animals was 1.5±0.2 mmol/L (58±6 mg/dL). Age-matched rabbits (n=7) were fed a high cholesterol (1%) diet for 1 month. During this time, the plasma cholesterol increased to 26.0±3.9 mmol/L (1000±150 mg/dL) (P<.001 versus control). Other rabbits (regression, n=5) were fed a 1% cholesterol diet for 1 month and were then placed on a normal diet for the ensuing 1 month. Plasma cholesterol at the end of this time had decreased to 1.8±0.5 mmol/L (71±19 mg/dL) (P=NS versus control). On the day of study, the animals were killed by an overdose of intravenous sodium pentobarbital. The chest was then rapidly opened and the descending thoracic aorta removed. The vessel was placed in chilled Krebs-HEPES buffer, cleaned of excessive adventitial tissue, and cut into 5-mm ring segments. In some vessels, the endothelium was removed by inserting the closed tips of metal hemostat forceps into the ring segment and rolling it gently on moistened filter paper.

Measurements of Vascular Superoxide Anion Production
O₂^- production was measured using lucigenin chemiluminescence. The details of this assay have been published previously.^{7 13 14} Briefly, after preparation, the vessels were placed in a modified Krebs-HEPES buffer (mmol/L content: NaCl, 99.01; KCl, 4.69; CaCl₂, 1.87; MgSO₄, 1.20; K₂HPO₄, 1.03; NaHCO₃, 25.0; Na-HEPES, 20.0; and glucose, 11.1; initially gassed with 95% O₂ and 5% CO₂, pH 7.4) and allowed to equilibrate for 30 minutes. Scintillation vials containing 2 mL of Krebs-HEPES buffer with 0.25 mmol/L lucigenin were placed into a scintillation counter switched to the out-of-coincidence mode. After 15 minutes, background counts were recorded, and a vascular segment then was added to the vial. Scintillation counts then were recorded 15 minutes later and the respective background counts subtracted. The vessels then were dried by placing them in a 90°C oven for 3 hours. Lucigenin scintillation counts were converted to absolute amounts of O₂^- with use of known quantities of xanthine and xanthine oxidase as described previously.⁷

Isometric Tension Studies
Ring segments from the same animals also were studied in organ chambers filled with Krebs-Henseleit buffer (mmol/L content: NaCl, 118.3; KCl, 4.69; CaCl₂, 1.87; MgSO₄, 1.20; K₂HPO₄, 1.03; NaHCO₃, 25.0; and glucose, 11.1; pH 7.40). The buffer was aerated continuously with 95% O₂ and 5% CO₂ and maintained at 37°C. Each segment was suspended by means of metal stirrups, one of which was connected to a transducer to allow measurement of isometric tension. During the following hour, the vessels were gradually stretched to a resting tension of 5 g. In preliminary experiments, we found that this was an optimum resting tension for development of active contractile tone. After this, the vessels were constricted with 1 µmol/L phenylephrine. After development of a stable degree of active tension, the vessels were exposed to cumulative concentrations of either acetylcholine (1 nmol/L to 3 µmol/L) or the calcium ionophore A23187 (1 nmol/L to 3 µmol/L).

Immunohistochemistry
Additional studies were performed to attempt to determine the role of macrophages in the increased O₂^- production in cholesterol-fed rabbit aortas. Sixteen segments from 8 hypercholesterolemic rabbits (plasma cholesterol=29.6±5.5 mmol/L [1140±210 mg/dL]) and 4 segments from 2 regression rabbits (mean plasma cholesterol=1.8 mmol/L [68 mg/dL]) were studied. After measurement of O₂^- production, the segments were weighed (wet weight). Preliminary experiments from 12 aortic segments revealed that the dry weight of the aorta was 22% of the wet weight. We therefore used this value to estimate the dry weight of these vessels. After weighing, the aortas were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde buffered with 0.1 mol/L NaPO₄ (pH 7.4) for 3 hours at 4°C, cryoprotected in 15% sucrose PBS overnight, embedded in optimal cutting temperature compound (OCT, Miles Laboratories), frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored at -70°C. Cryosections (7 µm) were thaw-mounted onto Superfrost/Plus slides (Fisher Scientific), refrozen, and stored at -70°C with desiccant until use. Immunohistochemistry was performed using the Vectastain ABC-AP system (Vector Laboratories) essentially as described by the manufacturer. Cryosections were pretreated with acetone and 1% gelatin-PBS and incubated at room temperature for 60 minutes with a mouse anti-rabbit macrophage monoclonal antibody (RAM 11 [Reference 15], Dako Platts, 1:50) followed by incubation with a biotinylated horse anti-mouse secondary antibody (Vector Laboratories, 1:400) for 30 minutes. The tissue sections were subsequently stained with use of Vector substrate kit I so that the final reaction product appeared red. The slides were counterstained with hematoxylin. The immunohistochemistry experiments were controlled by incubating some sections with the secondary antibody only.

To relate O₂^- production to the extent of macrophage infiltration, we examined both O₂^- production and macrophage infiltration in individual vascular segments. An additional 10 rabbits (8 hypercholesterolemic rabbits and 2 regression rabbits) were used in these experiments. We defined the extent of macrophage infiltration into four grades (Fig 1). Macrophage grading was performed by one of the authors in a blinded fashion so that he was unaware of the lucigenin signal obtained from the vascular segments studied. Eight sections of the vascular segment in which O₂^- production had been determined were examined. A score was assigned to each vascular segment based on analysis of all sections from that segment, and the score assigned represented the highest number of macrophages observed: grade 0, no macrophages observed; grade 1, 1 to 3 macrophages in the histological section; grade 2, the infiltration of macrophage occupied less than one fourth of the circumferential area of lumen; grade 3, the infiltration of macrophage occupied one fourth to one half of the circumferential area of lumen; and grade 4, the infiltration of macrophage occupied more than one half of the circumferential area of lumen.

View larger version (0K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 1. Immunohistochemical localization of macrophages with anti-rabbit macrophage antibody RAM11 in rabbit aorta. Frozen sections of hypercholesterolemic rabbit aortas were stained with a monoclonal anti-macrophage antibody RAM11 (1:50). A through D represent sections for macrophage infiltration grades 1 through 4, respectively. Magnification x5. All sections were counterstained with hematoxylin.

All reagents were purchased from Sigma Chemical Co except when specified.

Statistics
Data are presented as mean±SEM. Differences in O₂^- production and vascular relaxation were compared using ANOVA, and when differences between groups were indicated, a Scheffé's post hoc analysis was used. Probability values <.05 were considered significant.

	Results

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Superoxide Anion Production
In aortic segments from normal rabbits (n=9), O₂^- production estimated by measuring chemiluminescence 15 minutes after exposure to lucigenin was 0.32 nmol/mg tissue per minute and was increased about twofold by removal of the endothelium (P<.05) (Fig 2).

View larger version (16K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 2. Bar graph shows vascular O2- production estimated by lucigenin chemiluminescence. Rabbits were fed a normal diet (normal), a 1% cholesterol diet (cholesterol-fed), or a 1% cholesterol diet for 1 month followed by a normal diet for the following month (regression). Rings of thoracic aorta were studied with (open bars) and without (filled bars) endothelium. Lucigenin chemiluminescence signals were corrected for background and converted to nanomoles of O2- based on signals obtained from known standard curves generated with xanthine and xanthine oxidase. *P<.05 vs control; **P<.05, less than with endothelium; P<.05, greater than with endothelium.

In aortic segments from hypercholesterolemic rabbits (n=7) with endothelium, O₂^- production was 4.5 times greater than that observed in normal aortas (P<.01) (Fig 2). Furthermore, in contrast to the findings in normal aortas, removal of the endothelium from these hypercholesterolemic aortas did not increase but dramatically decreased O₂^- production (P<.05) (Fig 2). O₂^- production of segments of hypercholesterolemic vessels without endothelium was similar to normal segments without endothelium.

In the regression group (n=5), O₂^- production was identical to values observed in normal rabbits (Fig 2). Furthermore, as observed in normal vessels, O₂^- production was increased significantly by removal of the endothelium (Fig 2). Thus, the endothelium in rabbits fed initially a high cholesterol and then a normal diet also appears to exert a protective role in limiting the total production of O₂^- from the vessel wall.

Endothelium-Dependent Vascular Relaxations
The degree of preconstriction by phenylephrine averaged 8.0±0.7 g, 8.6±0.6 g, and 8.4±0.4 g (P=NS) in normal, cholesterol-fed, and regression rabbits, respectively. Relaxations of vessels from the cholesterol-fed group to acetylcholine and the calcium ionophore A23187 were markedly reduced compared with control animals. After dietary lowering of cholesterol, responses to these agonists were markedly improved but were not as great as those observed in normal animals (Fig 3).

View larger version (15K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 3. Plots show vascular relaxations to acetylcholine and the calcium ionophore A23187. Ring segments from the thoracic aorta were constricted with 1 µmol/L phenylephrine and exposed to increasing concentrations of each substance. Values are presented as percentage of relaxation of the preconstricted tone. *P<.05 vs control; P<.05 vs cholesterol-fed rabbits.

Relation of Superoxide Anion Production to Macrophage Infiltration in the Intima
As can be seen in Fig 4, there was no correlation between vascular O₂^- production and macrophage infiltration into the intima. Furthermore, in several vascular segments with very high O₂^- production, no macrophages were observed.

View larger version (12K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 4. Plot shows correlation between vascular O2- production and macrophage infiltration into the intima. We assayed both vascular O2- production and macrophage infiltration of the same aortic segments. An additional 10 rabbits (8 hypercholesterolemic rabbits and 2 regression rabbits) were used in these experiments. Two aortic segments from each rabbit were studied. We defined the extent of macrophage infiltration into four grades (see text and Fig 1). Macrophage grading was performed by one of the authors in a blinded fashion so that he was unaware of the lucigenin signal obtained from the vascular segments studied. Eight histological sections of each vascular segment in which O2- production had been determined were examined. A score was assigned to each vascular segment based on analysis of all sections from that segment, and the score assigned represented the highest number of macrophages observed.

	Discussion

Top Abstract Introduction Methods Results Discussion References

 
In the present experiments, diet-induced hypercholesterolemia was associated with a 4.5-fold increase in the vascular production of O₂^-. As in a previous study,⁷ endothelial removal normalized O₂^- production, suggesting that the source of the O₂^- was the endothelium or cells closely associated with the endothelium. The new findings are that this increased O₂^- production probably is not due to infiltration of macrophages into the intima and that with dietary correction and lowering cholesterol, the vascular production of O₂^- was normalized. In addition to correction of O₂^- production, endothelium-dependent vascular relaxations to acetylcholine and the calcium ionophore A23187 were greatly improved.

Lucigenin chemiluminescence, used in the present experiments, has proven to be useful for studies of vascular O₂^- production.^{7 13 14} As previously noted, this methodology is quite specific for O₂^- production. Chemiluminescence is not produced by H₂O₂ in concentrations lower than 1 mmol/L (approximately 1 million times higher than O₂^-). The technique does not detect hydroxyl radical, singlet oxygen, or nitroxyl anion in concentrations less than 1 µmol/L.^{7 14} Luminol has been used previously to measure O₂^-; however, it also may detect other radicals such as hydroxyl and nitric oxide.¹⁶ The reduction of ferricytochrome c has been used to detect O₂^-,¹⁷ but we have found it less sensitive than lucigenin. Unlike ferricytochrome c, lucigenin also detects both intracellular and extracellular O₂^{-13 18} and thereby provides a more accurate estimate of total vascular production and release of the radical.

The finding that cholesterol lowering was associated with an improvement in endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation is in keeping with prior reports in monkeys,¹⁰ rabbits,¹¹ and more recently in humans.¹² As the O₂^- production was also decreased, the findings are also compatible with the hypothesis that excess O₂^- may contribute to alterations of endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation. O₂^- inactivates nitric oxide, leading to the formation of nitrate and nitrite, which are vasoinactive except in very high concentrations. Because the O₂^- in hypercholesterolemia appears to be released by the endothelium, it is reasonable to assume that the inactivation of nitric oxide also may occur within the endothelium or shortly after the nitric oxide has been released from the endothelium. The chemical reaction betwen O₂^- and nitric oxide also may lead to the production of the peroxynitrite radical,^{19 20} which is vasoactive²¹ but has an extremely short biological half-life, which reduces its capacity to diffuse to the adjacent vascular smooth muscle.

In the present studies, as in previous work,⁷ we found that removal of the endothelium from cholesterol-fed rabbits decreased O₂^- production. This finding suggests that the source of the O₂^- is either the endothelium or a cell type closely associated with the endothelium that is also removed in the denudation process. This consideration led us to examine the degree of macrophage infiltration in a separate set of vessels from cholesterol-fed rabbits and rabbits after dietary lowering of cholesterol. We also were able to obtain estimates of O₂^- production from the same vascular segments so that a correlation between O₂^- production and macrophage infiltration could be obtained. As is evident from Fig 4, there was no obvious relation between vascular O₂^- production and the number of macrophages present. In a large number of these segments, no macrophages were observed. It is quite likely that this absence of macrophages was due to the short-term cholesterol feeding period and that had a longer feeding period been used, macrophages would have been more consistently observed. Nevertheless, these findings are compatible with the concept that the endothelium can serve as a source of O₂^- production.

In the present studies, cholesterol lowering markedly improved but did not completely correct endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation. In two previous studies in which we sought to lower O₂^- production, an almost identical effect was observed. Treatment of cholesterol-fed rabbits with polyethylene-glycolated superoxide dismutase⁸ and prevention of O₂^- production by oxypurinol⁷ improved endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation to about 75% or 80% of that observed in control animals. In the present experiments and in the studies with oxypurinol, direct evidence was obtained that the interventions completely normalized O₂^- production. It is therefore interesting to speculate that a portion (approximately 75% to 80%) of the defect in endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation is due to O₂^- inactivation of nitric oxide and that other mechanisms may account for the remainder of the defect.

The present studies have focused on control of vasomotor tone; however, reducing vascular O₂^- production by cholesterol lowering may have other therapeutic implications. The O₂^- participates in oxidation and modification of low-density lipoprotein.²² Other radicals derived from O₂^- and peroxynitrite such as the hydroxyl radical and hydrogen peroxide may modify membrane lipids via formation of peroxy radicals²³ and are chemoattractant for neutrophils.²⁴ Recently, it has become clear that cellular redox state plays an important role in modulation of gene transcription^{25 26 27 28} and that at least one endothelial cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1) involved in the atherogenic process may be transcriptionally regulated by oxidant stress.²⁹ Oxygen radicals also may induce vascular smooth muscle growth and proliferation,³⁰ an important component of atherogenesis. Thus, reduction of O₂^- production by cholesterol lowering not only may improve endothelial regulation of vasomotion but probably has several other beneficial effects with regard to vascular homeostasis.

	Acknowledgments

 
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants HL-32717, HL-39006, and HL-48667 and a Merit Grant from the Veterans Administration. We acknowledge the assistance of Ann B. Peterson and Cynthia M. Curry in the preparation of the manuscript.

Received December 13, 1994; revision received February 1, 1995; accepted February 10, 1995.

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				D. Pierre-Paul and V. Gahtan Noncholesterol-Lowering Effects of Statins Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, September 1, 2003; 37(5): 301 - 313. [Abstract] [PDF]

				K. Y. Stokes, E. C. Clanton, K. P. Clements, and D. N. Granger Role of Interferon-{gamma} in Hypercholesterolemia-Induced Leukocyte-Endothelial Cell Adhesion Circulation, April 29, 2003; 107(16): 2140 - 2145. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Yan, D. Kim, T. Aizawa, and B. C. Berk Functional Interplay Between Angiotensin II and Nitric Oxide: Cyclic GMP as a Key Mediator Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., January 1, 2003; 23(1): 26 - 36. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. Kalinina, A. Agrotis, E. Tararak, Y. Antropova, P. Kanellakis, O. Ilyinskaya, M. T. Quinn, V. Smirnov, and A. Bobik Cytochrome b558-Dependent NAD(P)H Oxidase-Phox Units in Smooth Muscle and Macrophages of Atherosclerotic Lesions Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., December 1, 2002; 22(12): 2037 - 2043. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Aikawa, S. Sugiyama, C. C. Hill, S. J. Voglic, E. Rabkin, Y. Fukumoto, F. J. Schoen, J. L. Witztum, and P. Libby Lipid Lowering Reduces Oxidative Stress and Endothelial Cell Activation in Rabbit Atheroma Circulation, September 10, 2002; 106(11): 1390 - 1396. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. Palinski and S. Tsimikas Immunomodulatory Effects of Statins: Mechanisms and Potential Impact on Arteriosclerosis J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., June 1, 2002; 13(6): 1673 - 1681. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. W. van Etten, E. J.P. de Koning, M. L. Honing, E. S. Stroes, C. A. Gaillard, and T. J. Rabelink Intensive Lipid Lowering by Statin Therapy Does Not Improve Vasoreactivity in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., May 1, 2002; 22(5): 799 - 804. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. A. Hathaway, D. D. Heistad, D. J. Piegors, and F. J. Miller Jr Regression of Atherosclerosis in Monkeys Reduces Vascular Superoxide Levels Circ. Res., February 22, 2002; 90(3): 277 - 283. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. K. Kim, M.-S. Lee, S. M. Son, I. J. Kim, W. S. Lee, B. Y. Rhim, K. W. Hong, and C. D. Kim Vascular NADH Oxidase Is Involved in Impaired Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation in OLETF Rats, a Model of Type 2 Diabetes Diabetes, February 1, 2002; 51(2): 522 - 527. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y.-M. Go, A.-L. Levonen, D. Moellering, A. Ramachandran, R. P. Patel, H. Jo, and V. M. Darley-Usmar Endothelial NOS-dependent activation of c-Jun NH2- terminal kinase by oxidized low-density lipoprotein Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, December 1, 2001; 281(6): H2705 - H2713. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				U. Landmesser and D. G. Harrison Oxidant Stress as a Marker for Cardiovascular Events: Ox Marks the Spot Circulation, November 27, 2001; 104(22): 2638 - 2640. [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. A. Beswick, A. M. Dorrance, R. Leite, and R. C. Webb NADH/NADPH Oxidase and Enhanced Superoxide Production in the Mineralocorticoid Hypertensive Rat Hypertension, November 1, 2001; 38(5): 1107 - 1111. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. K. Thakur, T. Hayashi, D. Sumi, H. Kano, T. Tsunekawa, and A. Iguchi HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor stabilizes rabbit atheroma by increasing basal NO and decreasing superoxide Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, July 1, 2001; 281(1): H75 - H83. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Martinez-Gonzalez, B. Raposo, C. Rodriguez, and L. Badimon 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase Inhibition Prevents Endothelial NO Synthase Downregulation by Atherogenic Levels of Native LDLs : Balance Between Transcriptional and Posttranscriptional Regulation Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., May 1, 2001; 21(5): 804 - 809. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. J. Dzau Tissue Angiotensin and Pathobiology of Vascular Disease : A Unifying Hypothesis Hypertension, April 1, 2001; 37(4): 1047 - 1052. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. D. Dobrian, M. J. Davies, S. D. Schriver, T. J. Lauterio, and R. L. Prewitt Oxidative Stress in a Rat Model of Obesity-Induced Hypertension Hypertension, February 1, 2001; 37(2): 554 - 560. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Rodriguez-Porcel, J. D. Krier, A. Lerman, P. F. Sheedy II, J. C. Romero, C. Napoli, and L. O. Lerman Combination of Hypercholesterolemia and Hypertension Augments Renal Function Abnormalities Hypertension, February 1, 2001; 37(2): 774 - 780. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. A. Beswick, H. Zhang, D. Marable, J. D. Catravas, W. D. Hill, and R. C. Webb Long-Term Antioxidant Administration Attenuates Mineralocorticoid Hypertension and Renal Inflammatory Response Hypertension, February 1, 2001; 37(2): 781 - 786. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. Schachinger, M.B. Britten, S. Dimmeler, and A.M. Zeiher NADH/NADPH oxidase p22 phox gene polymorphism is associated with improved coronary endothelial vasodilator function Eur. Heart J., January 1, 2001; 22(1): 96 - 101. [Abstract] [PDF]

D Tousoulis, C Tentolouris, T Crake, G Goumas, C Stefanadis, P Toutouzas, and G Davies Complex stenosis morphology and vasomotor responses to inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis Heart, November 1, 2000; 84(5): 529 - 534. [Abstract] [Full Text]