Hemodynamically-induced increase in soluble collagen in the anastomosed veins of experimental arteriovenous fistulae

Abstract

External jugular veins that had been subjected to the hemodynamic stresses produced by experimental arteriovenous anastomosis developed 2% increased total protein contents and 17% increased collagen contents. When the stressed veins were homogenized and extracted with saline solutions, statistically significant increases in the saline-soluble proteins and in the saline-soluble collagen (87% and 267%, respectively) were observed. Increased amounts of low molecular weight peptides were found in the extracts. A fraction of these peptides could be degraded by Clostridium collagenase. The saline extract also contained proteins which resembled by their amino-acid composition the acidic structural proteins of the connective tissues. Additonally, in 3 dogs so tested, changes were found in the hydroxylation and glycosylation of lysine from gelatin extracts as well as in the lysine and desmosine contents of the insoluble elastin fractions. This is the first demonstration of a hemodynamically induced increase in the saline solubility of connective tissue proteins in the absence of dietary manipulations.