[The inhibitory effect of antisense phosphorothioate c-myc oligodeoxynucleotide on intimal hyperplasia in rat abdominal aortae after injury with a balloon catheter].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of Antisense phosphorothioate c-myc oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) on intimal hyperplasia in rat abdominal aortae induced by endothenial-denuded injury with a balloon catheter. METHODS: Antisense c-myc ODN was applied to the adventitia of injured abdominal aortae in rat introduced by pluronic gel releasing system and lipofectin delivery system. The animals were feeded with routine diet. Three weeks after intervention, the animals were killed and defined segments of arteries were sectioned and the histological sections were stained with elastic fiber staining. The cross-section of the artery was examined microscopically and the image was digitalized by image analysis system. The intima/media(I/M) area and I/M thickness ratios were calculated and analyzed statistically among groups. RESULTS: The intimal hyperplasia in antisense c-myc ODN-treated rats was inhibited significantly, demonstrated by microscopically and I/M area and thichness ratios, as compared with that treated with sense c-myc ODN and mismatch c-myc ODN. The larger dose of antisense c-myc ODN, the more obvious the suppression of intimal hyperplasia. CONCLUSION: The results suggest antisense c-myc ODN significantly suppressed the intimal hyperplasia in injured rat aortae in a sequence-specific fashion and dose-dependent manner. The investigation provides the basis for the early clinical trials assessing the therapeutic potential of antisense c-myc approach for the prevention of restenosis after angioplasty.