Journal
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
Volume 433, Issue 2-3, Pages 163-168Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/S0014-2999(01)01501-1
Keywords
transplantation; arteriosclerosis; tranilast; smooth muscle cell; proliferation
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Accelerated coronary arteriosclerosis remains a major problem for the long-term survival of cardiac transplant recipients. However, the pathogenesis of graft vasculopathy is poorly understood and there is no effective therapy. Tranilast is a promising drug that may prevent postangioplasty restenosis. Here, we investigated whether orally administered tranilast inhibits the development of intima hyperplasia in a mouse model of cardiac transplantation. Cardiac allografts from BALB/c mice were transplanted heterotopically into C3H/He mice. Mice were administered either vehicle or tranilast everyday by gavage. Morphometrical analysis of the cardiac allografts harvested at 2 months revealed that the administration of tranilast significantly reduced the development of coronary atherosclerosis. In the mice treated with tranilast, upregulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 was observed in the allografts, accompanied by a reduced number of proliferating cells. Tranilast also suppressed transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) expression. Tranilast may be effective in preventing transplant-associated arteriosclerosis through its anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V All rights reserved.
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