Balloon injury alters alpha-adrenoceptor expression across rat carotid artery wall

alpha(1)-Adrenoceptors (AR) mediate growth factor-like activity of catecholamines on vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) and adventitial fibroblasts. This trophic activity is strongly augmented by balloon injury, contributes significantly to subsequent proliferation, wall hypertrophy and lumen loss and is mediated by alpha(1A)- and alpha(1B)-AR. However, it is not known how injury augments adrenergic trophic activity. The aim of the present study was to examine alpha-AR expression in rat carotid artery and to test the hypothesis that balloon injury augments a(1)-AR expression. 2. Neointima, media and adventitia were isolated at various days after balloon injury of rat carotid artery and subjected to quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and radioligand binding. Cultured SMC were also studied. 3. Transcripts for alpha(1A)-, alpha(1B)-, alpha(1D)- and alpha(2D)-AR were expressed in different proportions in media and adventitia from uninjured carotid artery. Injury caused a reduction by as much as 85% at day 4 in all alpha-AR mRNA (but not cyclophilin) in both the media and adventitia. In both layers, expression returned to control by day 21 for alpha(2D)-AR and by day 42 for alpha(1A)-AR, but remained reduced by 25-50% for alpha(1B)- and alpha(1D)-AR at 42 days. alpha(1)-Adrenoceptor transcripts in the neointima at 21 and 42 days after injury were expressed at levels more than 80% lower than in the media or adventitia of uninjured carotid; alpha(2D)-AR mRNA was undetectable. The density of total alpha(1)-AR binding sites was similar in the media and adventitia of uninjured carotid. Density was reduced by approximately 60% in the intima-media and adventitia 21 days after injury. To examine possible mechanisms, early passaged cultured SMC were studied that express alpha(1D)- and alpha(1B)-AR at levels similar to in vivo but that do not express other alpha-AR. Basic fibroblast growth factor caused downregulation of alpha(1D)-AR mRNA and alpha(1)-AR density, without affecting mRNA half-life, whereas transforming growth factor-beta1 had no effect. Neither growth factor altered alpha(1B)-AR message expression. 4. These data demonstrate that: (i) carotid artery expresses the same four alpha-AR genes and similar total alpha(1)-AR density in the SMC media and fibroblast-rich adventitia; and (ii) injury induced enhancement of adrenergic trophic activity is not caused by upregulation of alpha(1)-AR, but, instead, is associated with a generalized reduction in alpha-AR expression.