Elastin formation in heterotopic transplants of isolated arterial smooth muscle cells

Smooth muscle cells were isolated from the aorta of 5 day old rats by collagenase digestion and injected intramuscularly into animals of the same strain, where the cells reconstituted an elastic tissue with many similarities to that found in the media of the intact aortic wall. The transplants consisted of partly aligned smooth muscle cells surrounded by an extracellular matrix of microfibrils, elastic fibers, bundles of collagen fibrils, and small granules believed to represent proteoglycans. The production of extracellular matrix was much more efficient than in cultures of arterial smooth muscle cells. This cell transplantation system may be valuable in elucidating the mechanisms of normal growth and development of the arterial wall as well as the pathogenesis of various pathological processes.