There is no effect on remodeling of vascular wall 4 weeks after local delivery of antithrombin in a porcine model of coronary overstretching.

BACKGROUND

Antithrombin III is an effective endogenous inhibitor of thrombin with antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory capabilities. Systematic administration of direct thrombin inhibitors as well as of antithrombin has proven effective at reducing formation of neointima after injury to vessel wall in various animal models. Local delivery of antithrombin attenuates deposition of platelets after balloon injury to porcine coronary vessels.

OBJECTIVE

To test our hypothesis that local delivery of antithrombin affects remodeling of vessel wall after balloon injury to the left anterior descending artery (LAD) in pigs.

METHODS

With a balloon:vessel diameter ratio of 1.5 deep vessel-wall injury was performed with conventional balloon angioplasty in the LAD in 16 pigs. After balloon injury the pigs were administered locally two doses of 2.5 ml antithrombin (250 U) or, as a control, two doses of 2.5 ml albumin (10 mg). All pigs were administered 200 U/kg bodyweight heparin before catheterization. The animals were then kept in stalls and fed normal grain. After approximately 4 weeks the animals were killed and lesions were assessed by computer-assisted image analysis. The areas of each vessel-wall layer and the percentage area stenosis were calculated. As a measure of injury, the length of rupture of the lamina elastica interna was measured.

RESULTS

The injury was found to be equally profound in pigs of these groups. There was no significant difference between the groups concerning the areas of vessel-wall layers. The percentage area stenosis was similar for pigs in these two groups (36.5 +/- 14.9% for pigs in the antithrombin group versus 35.4 +/- 16.2% for pigs in the control group, NS).

CONCLUSIONS

Local delivery of 250 U antithrombin to the LAD in pigs did not affect remodeling of the vessel wall 4 weeks after balloon injury.