The evolution of the meaning of blood hyperviscosity in cardiovascular physiopathology: Should we reinterpret Poiseuille?

In the 1960s and 1970s, a number of researchers (including ourselves) involved in the study of cardiovascular pathophysiology and particularly in the development of techniques to quantify blood flow, came across the observation that, along with vessel diameter, also blood viscosity plays an important role not only in theory but also in practice. Until then, viscosity was thought to play only a marginal role in determining blood flow, a concept which was based on the 1828 theories of Jean Louis Marie Poiseuille (Fig. 1, and [1]).1 In his well-known formula, named after its fathers Hagen2 and Poiseuille,

Nitroglycerine causes mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production: In vitro mechanistic insights

Background Nitroglycerine (GTN) is an organic nitrate that has been used for more than 100 years. Despite its widespread clinical use, several aspects of the pharmacology of GTN remain elusive. In a recent study, the authors of the present study showed that GTN causes opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) and mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Objective In the present study, it was tested whether GTN-induced ROS production depends on mitochondrial potassium ATP-dependent channel or mPTP opening, and/or GTN biotransformation. Methods and results Isolated rat heart mitochondria were incubated with succinate (a substrate for complex II) and GT…

The distribution of whole blood viscosity, its determinants and relationship with arterial blood pressure in the community: cross-sectional analysis from the Gutenberg Health Study.

Background: Blood viscosity has a role in modulating cardiovascular homeostasis; changes in this parameter have been associated with cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. However, it remains unclear whether these changes are (1) involved in the pathophysiology of disease, (2) an epiphenomenon, or (3) the expression of counterregulatory mechanisms. We report data on the normal values of blood viscosity and its association with cardiovascular risk factors, prevalent cardiovascular disease, and blood pressure in a large population-based cohort study. Methods and results: Viscosity was calculated using validated formulae and its associations were explored in 15,010 participants (mean 55.0, mi…

Smoking-induced preconditioning: acute, but not chronic, smoking paradoxically protects the endothelium from ischemia and reperfusion