Factors controlling growth of arterial cells following injury

The proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells is a key event in the development of arterial lesions. In experimental models, loss of arterial endothelium followed by platelet adherence does not necessarily stimulate smooth muscle cell proliferation. Furthermore, using animals deficient in platelets, smooth muscle cell proliferation was induced to an equal extent as in control animals following injury with a balloon catheter. Modulation of the smooth muscle response, however, was achieved by totally denuding arteries with a technique which did not traumatize medial cells. These data suggested that injury and cell death might induce proliferation of cells by release of endogenous mitogen. Basic FGF is present in the arterial wall and addition of this mitogen to denuded arteries was found to cause a highly significant increase in smooth muscle cell proliferation. These studies suggest that smooth muscle cell proliferation could be induced by factors present in the arterial wall and does not require exogenous factors. Smooth muscle cell proliferation following balloon catheter injury is significantly reduced by administration of calcium antagonists. Repeated administration of nifedipine caused a significant reduction in intimal lesion size induced by injury. The anti-proliferative effect was not observed in other tissues. Influx of Ca++ ions into medial smooth muscle cells may therefore be an obligatory step for replication.