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University of Missouri researchers have identified how the ability of the arteries to supply blood gets impaired with age. The findings appeared in the Journal of Physiology.
"We found that older arteries had a significantly lower number of sensory nerves in the tissues surrounding them and they were less sensitive to an important neurotransmitter responsible for dilation," said lead author of the study Erika Boerman, postdoctoral fellow at University of Missouri School of Medicine in the US.
The study focused on mesenteric arteries - a type of artery that supplies blood to the small intestines - of mice that were four months and 24 months old. These ages correspond to humans in their early 20s and mid-60s, respectively. Without stimulation, the diameter of the blood vessels of both younger and older mice was approximately the same.
"The importance of this discovery is that if we can identify why this happens to mesenteric arteries, it may be possible to prevent the same thing from happening to other blood vessels throughout the body," Boerman said. Poor neurotransmitter function and a reduced presence of sensory nerves surrounding older vessels lead to age-related dysfunction of mesenteric arteries, Boerman explained.
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