Enhanced thrombogenicity and altered hemodynamics in the cerebral microvasculature of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats

Thrombotic potential and hemodynamic changes were assessed in the cerebral microcirculation in normal rats (WKY), non-stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) at the age of 4, 16 and 32 weeks. Whole blood platelet aggregation revealed that the platelet aggregability in vitro was significantly depressed in SHRSP compared to WKY at 16 and 32 weeks using 2 μg/ml collagen but was similar or higher than WKY at 32 weeks using 20 or 40 μg/ml collagen. Platelet-rich thrombi were induced using a helium-neon (He-Ne) laser technique in vivo. The numbers of laser pulses required to induce an occlu-sive thrombus in arterioles were similar in the three strains at the age of 4 weeks. In contrast, the numbers of laser pulses needed to induce vascular occlusion in SHR (5.5 ± 0.7; n = 4) and SHRSP (4.9 ± 0.3; n = 4) were lower than in WKY (7.4 ± 0.3; n = 5) at the age of 16 weeks. Similar differences were observed at 32 weeks (SHR 5.8 ± 0.2; n = 6; SHRSP 4.3 ± 0.1; n = 4; WKY 7.0 ± 0.2; n = 7). Red blood cell velocities were measured in pial arterioles using a fiber-optic laser Doppler anemometer microscope. Red cell velocities and wall shear rates in SHR and SHRSP were significantly lower than those in WKY (p < 0.05) at the age of 16 weeks and were markedly lower in SHRSP than in either WKY or SHR at the age of 32 weeks. The plasma concentration of nitrite/nitrate determined by the Griess reaction was significantly reduced in SHRSP at 32 weeks compared with 4-week-old rats. These changes could contribute to the enhanced tendency to cerebro-vascular stroke in SHRSP.