Canvis bioquímics, mecànics i estructurals (3D) associats a isquèmia cerebral en artèries cerebrals de rates SHR. Paper del tractament farmacològic

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the main causes of mortality in the western society. The risk of cerebral stroke increases in the presence of hypertension. Several studies have described biochemical, structural, mechanical and functional changes not only in different animal models of hypertension but also in humans. Some of these changes could be involved in the greatest incidence of cerebral stroke observed among hypertensives. The main objective of this project is to evaluate: i) the biochemical (COX-2, iNOS, VCAM, ICAM-1; free radical, prostanoid and nitrite levels); structural in 3D at cellular level (confocal microscopy: and 3D imaging), functional and mechanical (pressure miography) changes in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) from hypertensives (SHR) and normotensive (WKY) rats after inducing either a cerebral ischemia in vivo (occlusion of MCA) or "in vitro" by tissue culture in presence of IL-1\beta (inflammation model), ii) the role of antihypertensive treatment as a prevention of cerebral stroke and the role of unfractioned heparin as a treatment after cerebral stroke on all the changes observed.