Inhibitory effects of paclitaxel on rat graft arteriosclerosis

Objective To investigate the inhibitory effect of paclitaxel on rat graft arteriosclero- sis and the mechanism.Methods The rat abdominal aortic allograft model was used.All rats were divided into three groups:isograft control group (Wistar to Wistar),allograft group (Wistar to SD) and allograft paclitaxel-treated group (Wistar to SD).Rats in allograft paclitaxel-treated group re- ceived paclitaxel (2 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1)) from the operation day to post-operative day 14 and others received same dosage of vehicle (0.9% normal saline).Animals were sacrificed and the grafts were harvested at 30th day after operation.Intimal proliferation was studied by light microscopy.The apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) was detected by transmission electronic microscopy and termi- nal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotin nick end-labeling (TUNEL) method.Results Morphological analysis showed that grafts had no change after operation in isograft control group,but in allograft group intimal proliferation,inflammatory cells infiltration in neointima and adventitia and stenosis of allografts were obvious.After treatment with paclitaxel,there was a significant decrease in intimal proliferation,inflammatory cells infiltration and stenosis.Apoptosis index of VSMCs was higher in the allograft paclitaxel-treated group than other groups.Conclusion Paclitaxel can inhibit intimal pro- liferation in aortic allografts and prevent the graft from arteriosclerosis possibly by inducing the apoptosis of VSMCs.