Introduction The study of vascular function is central to understanding almost every aspect of physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology since it is the vasculature that perfuses and maintains the entire body. Diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and arteriosclerosis and even normal processes such as aging directly impact vascular structure and function, so it is of
Diabetes is a devastating disease affecting millions worldwide. Vascular complications are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the diabetic population. Although much effort has been placed in examining mechanisms of endothelial dysfunction in diabetes, vascular smooth muscle complications are understudied. The L-type Ca2+ channel CaV1.2 plays key roles in vascular smooth muscle
Almost one third of deaths world-wide can be attributed to cardiovascular diseases (CVD). More than half of those cases are related to systemic arterial hypertension (SAH). There are several risk factors that contribute to the development of SAH. Type II diabetes causes structural and functional damage to arterial walls, which leads to
Vascular function can be assessed in vitro using a myograph. Benchtop wire myograph systems consist of an organ bath, mounting wire or prongs, a micrometer, and a force transducer and amplifier to measure tension development in the tissue. This simple set-up is used in many fields of research, including pharmacology and vascular physiology. In
