Effect of the inhibition of platelet function on the development of the primary atherogenic lesion in rats on a fat- and cholesterol-rich diet.

The involvement of arterial smooth muscle cells in the development of atherogenic lesions following de-endothelialization and platelet-vessel wall interaction was described in detail by Ross et al. (1977). Bourgain & Six (1974) described a method for local de-endothelialization over a small area in a branch of the mesenteric artery of the male white Wistar rat. The vessel wall reaction to the endothelial cell loss was investigated in detail by Potvliege & Bourgain (1976). The reactive pattern following de-endothelialization includes both a marked hypertrophy of the smooth muscle cells, and, if induced at the site of bifurcation, is further accompanied by migration of smooth muscle cells into the subintimal layer (Potvliege & Bourgain 1980). Administration of a fat- and cholesteral-rich diet markedly increased these phenomena (Potvliege & Bourgain 1982).