Decreased neointimal thickening after arterial wall injury in inducible nitric oxide synthase knockout mice

Mechanical injury in vivo results in the expression of the inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in vascular smooth muscle cells. However, the role of iNOS in modulating neointima formation after arterial wall injury is not clear. To determine whether the induction of iNOS gene expression promotes or attenuates the neointimal response to injury, we used a murine model of perivascular injury induced by placing a periadventitial collar around the carotid arteries in both wild-type and iNOS knockout mice (iNOS-KO mice). Periadventitial injury induced iNOS expression in the wild-type but not the iNOS-KO mice. Neointimal area and the intima/media ratio were significantly less in the iNOS-KO mice compared with the wild-type mice at 21 days. Injury-induced proliferation of medial cells and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression were also attenuated in iNOS-KO mice compared with wild-type mice. The induction of iNOS and the activation of the nuclear factor-kappaB-mediated pathway were also demonstrated in an in vitro injury model. We conclude that mechanical injury in vivo and in vitro induces iNOS expression and that lack of iNOS expression attenuates neointima formation after perivascular arterial injury. Taken together, these findings suggest that iNOS expression after vascular injury may promote neointima formation.