Demonstration of the selection of rapidly proliferating aortic smooth muscle cells in experimental diabetes by quantitative autoradiography in tissue culture

The proliferative activity of cultivated aortic and venous smooth muscle cells of diabetic and control rats was investigated by 3H-thymidine autoradiography. In both diabetic and normal conditions the proliferative activity of venous smooth muscle cells was significantly slower than that of the aortic cells. Cultured aortic smooth muscle cells from diabetic donors exhibited exalted proliferative activity relative to the control. Thus diabetes appeared to induce selection of rapidly proliferating aortic smooth muscle cells. (author)