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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 294/4/H1562    most recent 00241.2007v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Bulckaen, H. Articles by Puisieux, F. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bulckaen, H. Articles by Puisieux, F.

Low-dose aspirin prevents age-related endothelial dysfunction in a mouse model of physiological aging

¹Laboratory of Vascular Aging Biology, School of Medicine, University Hospital of Lille, Lille; ²Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Lille Catholic Institute Hospital, Lomme; ³Research Laboratory on Industrial and Environmental Toxicology, Industrial Environment Research Center, Littoral University, Dunkerque; and ⁴Pathology Department, Lille Catholic Institute Hospital, Lomme, France

Submitted 1 March 2007 ; accepted in final form 14 January 2008

The age-related impairment of endothelium-dependent vasodilatation contributes to increased cardiovascular risk in the elderly. For primary and secondary prevention, aspirin can reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events in this patient population. The present work evaluated the effect of low-dose aspirin on age-related endothelial dysfunction in C57B/J6 aging mice and investigated its protective antioxidative effect. Age-related endothelial dysfunction was assessed by the response to acetylcholine of phenylephrine-induced precontracted aortic segments isolated from 12-, 36-, 60-, and 84-wk-old mice. The effect of low-dose aspirin was examined in mice presenting a decrease in endothelial-dependent relaxation (EDR). The effects of age and aspirin treatment on structural changes were determined in mouse aortic sections. The effect of aspirin on the oxidative stress markers malondialdehyde and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OhdG) was also quantified. Compared with that of 12-wk-old mice, the EDR was significantly reduced in 60- and 84-wk-old mice (P < 0.05); 68-wk-old mice treated with aspirin displayed a higher EDR compared with control mice of the same age (83.9 ± 4 vs. 66.3 ± 5%; P < 0.05). Aspirin treatment decreased 8-OHdG levels (P < 0.05), but no significant effect on intima/media thickness ratio was observed. The protective effect of aspirin was not observed when treatment was initiated in older mice (96 wk of age). It was found that low-dose aspirin is able to prevent age-related endothelial dysfunction in aging mice. However, the absence of this effect in the older age groups demonstrates that treatment should be initiated early on. The underlying mechanism may involve the protective effect of aspirin against oxidative stress.

endothelium; intima/media; vasodilatation; oxidative stress