Background: After experimental angioplasty, partial or complete reendothelialization of the denuded surface occurs; the function of the regenerated endothelium has, however, been shown to be abnormal. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is mitogenic for endothelial cells in vitro and in vivo. We investigated whether chronic administration of bFGF in a rabbit model of balloon denudation might not only improve endothelial regrowth but also restore normal physiological responses to endothelium-dependent agonists.
Methods and results: Thirty-nine New Zealand White rabbits underwent balloon denudation of the right iliac artery. Twenty rabbits received intravenous administration of bFGF (2.5 micrograms twice a week for 2 weeks). Nineteen rabbits receiving saline injections served as controls. Animals were killed on day 28 for assessment of reendothelialization and neointimal thickening and for analysis of in vitro vasoreactivity. Animals in the bFGF group had a significantly (P<.005) greater degree of reendothelialization than controls (115 +/- 13 versus 55 +/- 6 mm2). Neointimal thickening was similar in the two groups. Four weeks after denudation, endothelium-independent responses did not differ significantly between the two groups. In contrast, the maximal endothelium-dependent acetylcholine-induced relaxation of the bFGF-treated animals (Emax, 40 +/- 7%) was significantly greater than that of the control group (Emax, 11 +/- 9%; P<.05).
Conclusions: Systemic administration of bFGF restores, in large part, the responses of previously denuded arterial segments to endothelium-dependent vasodilators. Angiogenic growth factors may help to reestablish normal endothelial cell function in patients who have undergone angioplasty.