AIM To investigate the relationship between the prevention of probucol against restenosis and functional vascular remodeling after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty(PTA) in rabbits. METHODS New Zealand rabbit thoracic aorta atherosclerosis was induced by 3 5 F balloon catheter injury following a 4 week feeding of high cholesterol diet, and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty(PTA) was performed by using 3 5 F ballon catheter. Probucol(1 g·d -1 ) or vitamin E(400 mg·d -1 ) was administrated one week before PTA. Two weeks after PTA, lumen area,neointima area(NEA),medial area(MA) and NEA/MA were analyzed by computerimage system.The relaxation response of restenotic arteries to acetylcholine and the contractive response to norepinephrine, potassium chloride and serotonin of thoracic aorta rings were measured by bioassay. Nitric oxide of serum was measured by means of biochemical assay.RESULTS After two weeks of PTA, probucol increased lumen area and decreased neointima area significantly. The relaxation response of restenotic arteries to acetylcholine was significantly lower than that of normal arteries〔relaxation percent to acetylcholine (1 μmol·L -1 ):(18 4±4 0)% vs (63 5±6 4)%, P< 0 01〕, and the contractive response of restenotic vessel to norepinephrine, potassium chloride and serotonin was much more sensitivethan that of non restenotic vessel. However, probucol in hibited the relaxation response of rest enotic vessel to acetylcholine and decrease the contractive response to norepinephrine,potassium chloride and serotonin. Furtheremore,probucol could increase nitric oxide in serum. CONCLUSIONS Probucol preventes restenosis by enhancing constrictive vascular remodeling and inhibits expansive vascular remodeling after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in rabbits.ctiveresponseto
norepinephrine,potassiumchlorideandserotonin .
Furtheremore,probucolcouldincreasenitricoxidein
serum .CONCLUSIONS Probucol preventes
restenosisbyenhancingconstrictivevascularremodel
ingandinhibitsexpansivevascularremodelingafter
percutaneoustransluminalangioplastyinrabbits.
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