title: Inhibition of intimal hyperplasia by local perivascular application of rapamycin and imatinib mesilate after carotid balloon injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Inhibition of the intimal hyperplasia after vascular surgery is an important issue. The purpose of this study is to define whether perivascular application of rapamycin, imatinib mesylate or cysteamine can reduce intimal hyperplasia in a carotid balloon injury model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Each drug was mixed with 40% pluronic gel solution and was topically applied over the injured carotid artery evenly. Two or four weeks after injury, the arteries were harvested and morphometric analysis was done.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The medial areas were not significantly different in each group and a thinning of the media as a toxic drug effect was not observed in any treatment group. The intimal area and intima-to-media (I/M) ratio were significantly reduced in rapamycin-treated group and imatinib-treated group (P < 0.05). But cysteamine-treated group showed a trend of decrease in I/M ratio in 2 weeks, but no difference in 4 weeks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perivascular delivery of imatinib or rapamycin with pluronic gel attenuated the development of intimal hyperplasia. But cysteamine did not. Further studies are needed to refine the optimal drug dosages in large animal models.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Daedo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Suh Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Il
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Min
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jongwon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: In-Gyu
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung-Kee
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Min
keywords: Carotid artery injury; Cysteamine; Imatinib mesylate; Intimal hyperplasia; Rapamycin