A Novel Perfusion Apparatus to Study the Effects of Cyclic Twist and Longitudinal Extension on Vascular Physiology

Abstract Cyclic strain is known to influence many aspects of vascular cell biology (Mills et al., 1993). Certain vessels undergo some combination of cyclic distension, longitudinal stretching, and twist. In the coronary arteries, for example, the beating heart induces such motion (Pao et al., 1992; Hamid et al., 1992). Saphenous vein coronary bypass grafts endure similar deformations. It is thought that subjecting constituent cells to such strains contributes to the etiology and pathogenesis of certain vascular maladies. The in-vitro simulation of the cyclic strain associated with the vasculature has been carried out mostly by manipulating flat membranes on which cell monolayers are cultured (Mills et al., 1993). However, native vascular cells are subjected simultaneously to multidirectional forces and deformations in-situ, and this is not accurately simulated with existing devices. The purpose of this work was to create an apparatus which may be used to apply cyclic twist and longitudinal stretch consistent with those found in native blood vessels to perfused, intact, vascular specimens.