Effect of Troglitazone on expression of adhesion molecules and eNOS in human saphenous vein graft

To investigate whether peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) ligand Troglitazone can reduce endothelial injury and activation during storage of harvested saphenous vein grafts. Segments of human saphenous vein graft were collected from 9 patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery and then divided into two equal parts of control and test specimens, were stored in either heparinized blood (control group) or heparinized blood containing 20 mumol/L troglitazone (test group) for 1 h at room temperature. Tissue distribution and protein expression of VCAM-1, ICAM-1, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) were compared using immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, a marker of neutrophil sequestration in human saphenous vein grafts, was also measured in each group. The expression of ICAM-1 (753+/-132 versus 7201+/-934; P<0.01), VCAM-1 (3731+/-294 versus 8292+/-793; P<0.01), and MPO activity (1.52+/-0.42 U/g, 5.04+/-1.26 U/g P<0.01) were significantly lower in test group. In contract, eNOS expression (7983+/-834 versus 3989+/-1008; P<0.01) was significantly higher in test group. PPARgamma ligand troglitazone might reduce endothelial injury during the storage period of human saphenous vein grafts.