[Cytokine-eluting stents as new drug-delivery devices for angiogenic therapy]

The stimulation of the endogenous adaptive vessel growth (angiogenesis, arteriogenesis) provides a promising therapeutic approach for the large number of patients with vascular occlusive disease that is not eligible for current interventional treatments. Despite the proven efficacy of various factors in pre-clinical experimental studies, the successful translation of angiogenic therapies into clinical practice yet remains to be made. Most authors identified the mode of administrations as culprit for the neutral effects observed in the majority of clinical trials. Although experimental studies have proven the superiority of continuous intra-arterial application above other routes (iv, im, sc), clinical trials focused on either bolus therapy, iv or sc application respectively, due to the lack of technical solutions to fulfill the requirements of intra-arterial delivery. The recent developments in the field of drug eluting stents may offer new possibilities for local drug delivery. Local release of cytokines, such as TGF-beta, has been shown to induce collateral growth in an experimental model of PAD. Other factors might eventually render useful to stabilize atherosclerotic plaques downstream of the site of stent implantation.