The Influence of the Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation in Catheter Injuried Rat Common Carotid Artery after eNOS Transfection in Vitro

Objective To transfect eNOS gene into the cultured vascular smooth muscle cells of the catheter injuried rat common carotid artery and to observe the influence of the transfection to the VSMCs. Method 20 male Wastar rats of 3 months old were divided evenly into normal control group, blank control group, pcDNA3.1(-) transfection group and eNOS transfection group, PTCA were performed on 15 rats except normal control group. All rats were executed 1 month later after operation, the left common carotid arteries were taken out and the injuried vascular smooth muscle cells were cultured in vitro. Then the pcDNA3.1(-) and pcDNA3.1-eNOS genes were transfected respectively into the cultured injuried VSMCs. The expression of the eNOS gene was detected by RT-PCR, hybridization in situ and immunofluorescence and the cell proliferation were measured by MTT assay. Result The eNOS mRNA and protein could be detected in injuried VSMCs after transfection with eNOS and the call proliferation was significantly lower in eNOS transfection group than in other groups. Conclusion Transfection of eNOS in vitro can significantly inhibit the proliferation of VSMCs injuried by catheter in rat common carotid artery.