ABSTRACT
Objective To study the influences of endogenous testosterone on vascular endothelial cell function and structure in rabbits of balloon injury. Methods Twenty male rabbits were randomly divided into two groups: castrated group and control group.The former group animals were castrated and the later group animals received sham operation. All animals were performed with deendothelializing balloon injury in the right iliac artery. Nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) were measured at different intervals during the experiment. After 2 weaks of endothelial denudation all animals were killed, and endothelin structure and morphological changes were observed with electron microscope and HE staining. Results There weren′t siginificant differences of plasma NO and ET-1 levels between the two groups, but plasma NO and ET-1 levels of the castrated group 2 weaks after endothelial denudation recovered to the levels before castration, while they didn′t in the control group. The extent of reendothelialization and intimal area of the harvested segments were similar between the two groups. Conclusion The decrease of endogenous testosterone level did not affect endothelial cell structure, but tended to protect function of injured endothelium.