Rosiglitazone and vascular injury in hypercholesterolemic rabbits: neointimal formation assessment.
BACKGROUND
Rosiglitazone has been the focus of extensive discussion.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of rosiglitazone on iliac arteries, both at the injury site and the contralateral artery, of hypercholesterolemic rabbits undergoing balloon catheter injury.


METHODS
White male rabbits were fed a hypercholesterolemic diet by oral gavage for 6 weeks and divided into two groups as follows: rosiglitazone group (14 rabbits treated with rosiglitazone during 6 weeks) and the control group (18 rabbits without rosiglitazone). Animals underwent balloon catheter injury of the right iliac artery on the 14th day.


RESULTS
In the contralateral iliac artery, there was no significant difference in the intima/media layer area ratio (IMR) between the control and rosiglitazone groups. Rosiglitazone did not reduce the probability of type I, II, or III lesions (72.73% vs 92.31%; p=0.30) and type IV or V lesions (27.27% vs 7.69%; p=0.30). As for the homolateral iliac artery, the intimal area was significantly lower in the rosiglitazone group, as compared to the control group (p = 0.024). The luminal layer area was higher in the rosiglitazone group vs. the control group (p < 0.0001). There was a significant reduction of 65% in the IMR in the rosiglitazone group vs the control group (p = 0.021). None of the histological criteria for type I-V atherosclerotic lesions (American Heart Association) were found in the homolateral iliac artery.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings demonstrate that rosiglitazone given for 6 weeks prevents atherogenesis at the injury site, but not in a vessel distant from the injury site.
Alessi
Alexandre
A
Pontificia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brasil.
França Neto
Olímpio Ribeiro
OR
Prim
Camila
C
Silva
Ruy Fernando Kuenzer Caetano da
RF
Noronha
Lucia de
Ld
Brofman
Paulo Roberto Slud
PR
Baroncini
Liz Andréa Villela
LA
Précoma
Dalton Bertolim
DB
D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D007083:Iliac Artery / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000293:injuries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D058426:Neointima / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits; D011897:Random Allocation; D000077154:Rosiglitazone; D045162:Thiazolidinediones / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D045162:Thiazolidinediones; D000077154:Rosiglitazone