Search

Published studies of normal aortic structure have been infrequent in birds despite a high prevalence of spontaneous atherosclerosis relative to mammals, and a feeling that this prevalence of atherosclerosis might be related to the pecularities of aortic structure in birds. We describe aortic structure in 26 birds, including 22 species and 12 families. All aortas had a complex structure similar to hat of the White Carneau pigeon which has been carefully studied. Diffuse intimal thickening (DIT) was found in the elastic zones in 22 of the 26 aortas. This lesion has not been previously described as such, and consisted of multiple longitudinally oriented elastic laminae apparently synthesized by interlamellar connective tissue cells, the latter being peculiar to the avian aorta. Focal intimal thickenings were very common in the non-elastic zones of the aortas, and were composed of smooth muscle cells and elastic laminae similar to the DIT of mammals. Their location suggested that blood flow patterns might be an important influence in their development. The fact that atherosclerotic lesions usually occurred in the non-elastic zones of the avian aorta suggested that some property of the elastic zone or the interlamellar connective tissue cells might inhibit the development of atherosclerosis.

The pathogenesis of diffuse intimal thickening (DIT) is not well understood. In animals, it is positively correlated with size, and with the exception of the pig, is thought to involve the proximal more than the distal portions of vessels. DIT is often not visible grossly, so that it's study requires extensive microscopic sampling of tissue. Review of previous studies in animals suggests that microscopic sampling may not have been sufficient to determine exactly where DIT occurs throughout the entire length of a vessel. The present study is a longitudinal step-serial section examination of the entire descending thoracic aorta from 12 adult non-human primates of varying size and species and with varying degrees of DIT as determined previously by more limited cross-section techniques. The findings indicate that DIT is not more pronounced in the proximal versus the distal segments of the vessel, and is not correlated with branch orifices. Review of the literature suggests that DIT may not be a single process, but may vary in pathogenesis from vessel to vessel and from species to species.

The present report is an attempt to determine the nature of the circulation of lipids within fibrous plaques by studying the pattern of lipid distribution within the plaques. The material was obtained from aortas from 405 mammals and birds dying in the Oklahoma City Zoo. Analysis of the pattern of lipid distribution in 187 lipid containing aortic fibrous plaques suggested that most of the lipids entered the plaques at the shoulders and circulated from there toward the centers, usually in the outermost layers of the plaques.

Little information is available on the histology of the normal aorta in non-human primates, despite their extensive use in atherosclerosis research. This paper consists of a detailed histologic description of normal aortas from 28 non-human primates, including 20 species. Medial and adventitial coats were essentially normal in all animals, and the former were composed of lamellar units similar in structure to those described in detail by other investigators. Intimal thickenings were present in 24 of the 28 individuals. These thickenings were similar in morphology to those of diffuse intimal thickening (DIT) in humans and other animals, and were more prevalent in older animals and in larger animals. The thickenings were not more prevalent or more pronounced in any particular region of the aorta, and their distribution did not provide a clue as to their etiology. Findings suggested that the thickenings underwent recognizable states of growth and maturation, and that growth was accomplished by the addition of smooth muscle cells at the intimomedial junction.