title: Increased vascular injury reduces the degree of intimal hyperplasia following angioplasty in rabbits.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Formation of intimal hyperplasia following angioplastic procedures can lead to complications, including restenosis and accelerated atherosclerosis. The vessel wall media is a main source of neointimal cells. However, evidence suggests that there are additional cell sources, such as the adventitia. Here we investigate whether an extensive loss of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in the media results in less intimal hyperplasia or if there is compensatory cell recruitment from the adventitia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A balloon catheter was pulled through the rabbit carotid artery 4 times (major injury) or 2 times (minor injury). Adventitial cells were labeled with 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine or PKH26.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The major injury, but not the minor injury, resulted in a complete loss of VSMCs in large parts of the media and significant leukocyte infiltration. The major injury resulted in less neointima compared with the minor injury. The thinnest neointima was seen at the most injured parts of the media in the major injury group. Cell-tracking experiments showed that the media, but not the adventitia, served as a source of neointimal cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An augmented angioplastic injury with extensive VSMC loss in rabbits reduced the degree of intimal hyperplasia. No compensatory recruitment of neointimal cells from the adventitia occurred.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. per.fogelstrand@wlab.gu.se
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fogelstrand
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mellander
authors.forename: Erney
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mattsson
mesh_terms: D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000818:Animals; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000378:metabolism; D002465:Cell Movement; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D006965:Hyperplasia; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000473:pathology*; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000473:pathology*; D058426:Neointima; D011817:Rabbits; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine