Short-term dexamethasone treatment inhibits vein graft thickening in hypercholesterolemic ApoE3Leiden transgenic mice
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess whether the anti-inflammatory agent dexamethasone can inhibit vein graft thickening without the occurrence of serious side effects. Venous interposition grafting was performed in the common carotid artery of hypercholesterolemic ApoE3Leiden transgenic mice. Mice were treated with dexamethasone (0.15 mg.kg(-1).d(-1) orally), and after 28 days, vein graft thickening was quantified. Treatment with dexamethasone resulted in a significant 43% reduction in lesion area without changes in lesion composition when compared with nontreated controls. However, dexamethasone, when administered for a prolonged period of time, is known for its potentially serious side effects. To overcome these potential side effects of prolonged dexamethasone treatment, the effect of a short-term 7-day dexamethasone treatment was studied. This short dexamethasone treatment resulted in a 49% decrease of vein graft thickening at 28 days. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that dexamethasone treatment led to reduced local expression of several proinflammatory cytokines and factors in the vein grafts 24 hours after surgery. Finally, observations in mice were verified in human saphenous organ cultures. Exposure to dexamethasone fo...Continue Reading
References
Dexamethasone and enalapril suppress intimal hyperplasia individually but have no synergistic effect
Citations
Glucocorticoids are active players and therapeutic targets in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
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