IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDY OF INTIMAL MICROVESSELS IN CORONARY ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Two hundred ninety-nine human coronary artery paraffin-embedded tissue blocks were examined for intimal microvessel invasion by probing for factor VIII-associated antigen with indirect immunofluorescence and hi gh resolution confocal microscopy. The results obtained confirm that i ntimal microvessels originate in the adventitia and show that the rich ness of intimal microvessels is strongly positively correlated with in timal thickness and negatively correlated with relative lumen size. A number of plasma constituents were examined in serial sections. Compar ison of immunofluorescence distribution patterns of these components w ith intimal microvessel distribution patterns reveals that intimal mic rovessels leak plasma albumin into artery walls, exude fibrinogen, and are associated with the build-up of plasma cells within atherosclerot ic lesions. Therefore, intimal microvessels are demonstrated to play i mportant roles in the development of atherosclerosis.