Preventive effects of basic fibroblast growth factor on vascular restenosis after balloon angioplasty

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether chronic administration of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) following angioplasty in a dog model of atherosclerotic iliac stenosis may restore endothelium function and prevent restenosis (RS). In total, 40 dogs with atherosclerotic stenosis of the right iliac arteries were used in the study. A total of 20 dogs underwent histological examination of the lumen areas prior to (n=10) and immediately following angioplasty (n=10). Intravenous bFGF was administered to 10 dogs (bFGF group) and an additional 10 dogs received vehicle injection (control group). Animals in the two groups were sacrificed 42 days following surgery for in vitro analysis of vascular reactivity and morphometric assessment of the histological cross-sectional areas. The bFGF group exhibited significantly greater maximal endothelium-dependent acetylcholine-induced relaxation (E_max, 43±9%) when compared with the control group (E_max, 8±6%; P<0.05). In addition, the maximal endothelium-independent response of the bFGF group to sodium nitroprusside (E_max, 90±2%) was greater than that of the control group (E_max, 60±2%; P<0.05). Six weeks following angioplasty, the lumen area in the bFGF group (2.01±0.78 mm²) was greater compared with the control group (1.0±0.10%). The lumen area decreased by 58% between immediately after angioplasty and the control group six weeks following angioplasty. Therefore, the results of the present study indicated that administration of bFGF may not only restore endothelium-dependent and -independent relaxation, but also prevent RS in dogs that have undergone angioplasty.