Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
International Journal of Toxicology
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Su, J.
Right arrow Articles by Altura, B. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Su, J.
Right arrow Articles by Altura, B. M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Original Research

Cocaine Induces Apoptosis in Primary Cultured Rat Aortic Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells: Possible Relationship to Aortic Dissection, Atherosclerosis, and Hypertension

Jialin Su1
Jianfeng Li1
Wenyan Li1
Bella T. Altura1,3
Burton M. Altura1,2,3

1 Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA
2 Department of Medicine, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA
3 The Center for Cardiovascular and Muscle Research, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA

Correspondence: Address correspondence to Professor B. M. Altura, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Box 31, Brooklyn, NY 11203-2056, USA. E-mail:baltura{at}downstate.edu

Cocaine abuse is known to induce many adverse cardiovascular effects, including hypertension, atherosclerosis, and aortic dissection. A major physiological event leading to these pathophysiological actions of cocaine could be apoptosis. This study was designed to investigate if primary cultured rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) can undergo apoptosis when treated with cocaine. After treatment with cocaine (10–6 to 10–4 M), morphological analysis of aortic VSMCs using confocal fluoresence microscopy showed that the percentage of apoptotic aortic VSMCs increased after cocaine (10–6 to 10–4 M) treatment for 12, 24, and 48 h. These results demonstrate that aortic VSMCs can undergo rapid apoptosis in response to cocaine in a concentration-dependent manner. Cocaine-induced apoptosis may thus play a major role in cocaine abuse-induced aortic dissection, atherosclerosis, and hypertension.

Key Words: Aortic Dissection • Apoptosis • Cocaine Abuse • Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

International Journal of Toxicology, Vol. 23, No. 4, 233-237 (2004)
DOI: 10.1080/10915810490471361
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J Am Coll CardiolHome page
R. Patrizi, V. Pasceri, A. Sciahbasi, F. Summaria, G. M.C. Rosano, and E. Lioy
Evidence of Cocaine-Related Coronary Atherosclerosis in Young Patients With Myocardial Infarction
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., May 16, 2006; 47(10): 2120 - 2122.
[Full Text] [PDF]