Atherosclerotic plaque development inhibition

Lucas A, Liu LY, Macen J et aL Virus-encoded serine proteinase inhibitor serp-1 inhibits atherosclerotic plaque development after balloon angioplasty. Circulation 1996 943890-2900. 

Atherosclerosis The imaging of atherosclerosis with [ F]FDG PET was advanced and recent studies in rabbits showed that the tracer accumulated in macrophage-rich atherosclerotic plaques. It was assumed that the vascular macrophage activity can be quantified by p FlFDO PET [189]. Further studies in rabbits demonstrated that this imaging modality is useful for the clinical evaluation of therapeutic effects of drugs as well as for the development of new drugs that can reduce and inhibit inflammation of vulnerable plaques [190]. 

Recent studies have revealed that ruptured erythrocytes in vitro are capable of mediating the oxidation of low density lipoproteins (LDL)[52], Oxidation of low density lipoprotein in the artery wall is now known to be an important aspect of fatty streak formation contributing to the development of the atherosclerotic plaque [57] (Fig. 11) (see Chapter 10). Antioxidants which inhibit... 

In other studies, we also showed that resveratrol effectively suppressed proliferation of cultured bovine pulmonary aortic endothelial cells (BPAEC). These results imply that resveratrol, delivered to endothelial cells in sufficient concentrations to inhibit proliferation in vivo, could facilitate rapid and efficient repair of damages on the endothelium, with the overall effect of decreasing the probability of sustained endothelial injury and exposure of the subendothelial matrix, which would trigger the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and the development of... 

A more frequent complication is restenosis of the angioplasty site which occurs in 25-30% of patients over 6-9 months " . Pathological studies in patients with recurrence of symptoms are infrequent but demonstrate proliferation of fibroblasts and vascular smooth muscle cells overlying and distinct from the traumatized atherosclerotic plaque . Similar lesions have been described in early atherosclerosis and there is evidence to suggest a role for platelets in the development of such lesions , possibly through release of platelet-derived growth factors which stimulate fibroblast and vascular smooth muscle proliferation . Thus, depletion or inhibition of platelets prevents the development of atherosclerosis in animal models and aspirin inhibits the accelerated coronary atherosclerosis which occurs in cardiac transplant recipients. Furthermore, restenosis is more frequent when there is evidence of a thrombus at the angioplasty site consistent with previous... 

Especially the hybrid hamster strain Bio FiB (Bio Breeders Fitchburg, MA, USA) is more susceptible to dietary induced atherosclerosis than other strains (Kowala et al. 1991). Early atherosclerotic lesions can be induced within a 3-months-feeding of a cholesterol/butter-enriched diet. In these animals simvastin dose-dependently inhibited the development of hyperlipidemia and the plaque formation by cholesterol synthesis inhibition The histopathological examination of the aortas showed that the choles-terol/butter fed FiB hamster developed atherosclerotic lesions and functional changes in the aorta which are closely related to man (Schafer et al. 1999). 

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