Regulation of cellular proliferation and intimal formation following balloon injury in atherosclerotic rabbit arteries

Abstract

Injury to atherosclerotic arteries induces the expression of growth regulatory genes that stimulate cellular proliferation and intimal formation. Intimal expansion has been reduced in vivo in nonatherosclerotic balloon-injured arteries by transfer of genes that inhibit cell proliferation. It is not known, however, whether vascular cell proliferation can be inhibited after injury in more extensively diseased atherosclerotic arteries. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether expression of recombinant genes in atherosclerotic arteries after balloon injury could inhibit intimal cell proliferation. To test this hypothesis, we examined the response to balloon injury in atherosclerotic rabbit arteries after gene transfer of herpesvirus thymidine kinase gene (