title: Rosiglitazone and vascular injury in hypercholesterolemic rabbits: neointimal formation assessment.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Pontificia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brasil.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alessi
authors.forename: Olímpio Ribeiro
authors.initials: OR
authors.lastname: França Neto
authors.forename: Camila
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Prim
authors.forename: Ruy Fernando Kuenzer Caetano da
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Lucia de
authors.initials: Ld
authors.lastname: Noronha
authors.forename: Paulo Roberto Slud
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Brofman
authors.forename: Liz Andréa Villela
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Baroncini
authors.forename: Dalton Bertolim
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Précoma
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D045162:Thiazolidinediones; D000077154:Rosiglitazone