Increased aortic thromboxane production in experimental atherosclerosis

It is of great importance to clarify the role of thromboxane and prostacyclin in the process of atherosclerosis. In order to study this we induced atherosclerosis in rabbits through cholesterol feeding (1% w/w) for three to 12 weeks. After sacrifice the aorta was quickly removed and incubated. The in vitro thromboxane production measured as immunoreactive thromboxane B₂ increased by 86 per cent in atherosclerotic vessels compared to control vessels (p<0.0005). The in vitro production of prostacyclin measured as immunoreactive 6-ketoprostaglandin F₁ α showed a tendency to higher values in the atherosclerotic vessels compared to the control vessels (31%, p<0.025). This suggests that an increased thromboxane production rather than a decreased prostacyclin production might be important for the progression of atherosclerosis.