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Updated: Oct 7, 2026
The Rabbit Model of Accelerated Atherosclerosis: A Methodological Perspective of the Iliac Artery Balloon Injury
Published on: October 3, 2017
Endovascular photodynamic therapy using mono-L-aspartyl-chlorin e6 to inhibit Intimal hyperplasia in balloon-injured
T Nagae1, K Aizawa, N Uchimura
1Department of Surgery, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan. tnagae@tokyo-med.ac.jp
Background And Objective:
Intimal hyperplasia (IH) leading to restenosis is a major complication of arterial revascularization. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of photodynamic therapy (PDT) using mono-L-aspartyl chlorin e6 (NPe6) as a photosensitizer and intraluminal radial irradiation for inhibition of IH experimentally.
Study Design/Materials And Methods:
Study of laser transmission through the blood indicated that exclusion of blood is a prerequisite for intraluminal PDT. For homogeneous radial laser irradiation to the vessel wall, we used a newly developed cylindrical diffusing balloon laser fiber. Injuries were induced by pulling a balloon catheter through the right iliac artery of rabbits. One and 6 hours after the NPe6 injection (5mg/kg i.v.), drug distribution was examined by fluorescence microscopy. Nineteen rabbits received NPe6 at the time of injuries and PDT was performed with 664-nm laser at 30 and 10 J/cm(2) (20, 30, 40 mW/cm(2)) 1 hour after the injuries. The arteries were harvested at 2 days. In a second group of rabbits, PDT was given at 30 mW/cm(2) (30 J/cm(2)). Two weeks after treatment, the arteries were removed and examined histologically.
Results:
NPe6 was found to be distributed selectively in the injured media. Endovascular NPe6-PDT showed complete depletion of smooth muscle cells even with 10 J/cm(2) at 2 days. IH was significantly inhibited at 14 days after PDT.
Conclusions:
Endovascular PDT of injured artery using NPe6 can prevent IH in this model of arterial wall injury and may become clinically useful for the prophylaxis of IH.
