Endothelium-dependent relaxation of collateral microvessels after intramuscular gene transfer of vascular endothelial growth factor in a rat model of hindlimb ischemia

• Published in: Circulation (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 98; no. 13; pp. 1261 - 1263
• Main Authors: TAKESHITA, S, ISSHIKI, T, OCHIAI, M, ETO, K, MORI, H, TANAKA, E, UMETANI, K, SATO, T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 29.09.1998
• Subjects: Acetylcholine - pharmacology; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Cardiology. Vascular system; Collateral Circulation - drug effects; Diseases of the peripheral vessels. Diseases of the vena cava. Miscellaneous; Endothelial Growth Factors - genetics; Endothelium, Vascular - physiology; Gene Transfer Techniques; Genetic Therapy; Hindlimb - blood supply; Ischemia - physiopathology; Ischemia - therapy; Lymphokines - genetics; Male; Medical sciences; Microcirculation - drug effects; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Regional Blood Flow - drug effects; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors; Vasodilation - drug effects; Radiodiagnosis; Angiography; Rat; Rodentia; Lower limb; Cardiovascular disease; Intramuscular administration; Genetic transfer; Vascular disease; Angiogenesis; Collateral circulation; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Vascular endothelium growth factor; Treatment; Ischemia; Animal; Technique
• ISSN: 0009-7322; 1524-4539
• DOI: 10.1161/01.cir.98.13.1261

Recent investigations have demonstrated the ability of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to augment the development of collateral arteries in vivo. In vitro studies have suggested that the use of VEGF also improves the endothelium-dependent relaxation of collaterals at the microvascular level. The purpose of this study was to determine in vivo the extent to which vasomotor responses of collateral microvessels are altered after VEGF treatment. Ischemia was induced in the hindlimb of 35 rats by excision of the femoral artery. Immediately thereafter, 400 microg of a plasmid encoding VEGF or ss-galactosidase (control) was transfected into limb muscles. Four weeks later, synchrotron radiation microangiography, with a spatial resolution of 30 microm, was performed to document the reactivity of collateral microvessels. Administration of the endothelium-dependent vasodilator acetylcholine failed to induce dilation of collateral microvessels in control animals. By contrast, profound dilation of collaterals was observed after acetylcholine in VEGF-treated animals. This response was evident in vessels with a linear appearance but not in those with an undulating appearance. The resulting blood flow in the ischemic limb after administration of acetylcholine in the control animals was only 64.6+/-17.0% of that of the contralateral normal limb, whereas blood flow was augmented to 106.1+/-8.4% in VEGF-treated animals (P<0.05). These results demonstrate in vivo that the use of VEGF restores impaired vasomotor responses in some types of collateral microvessels, which may help to provide a basis for understanding the microcirculation after therapeutic angiogenesis with VEGF.