Accelerated Reendothelialization With Suppressed Thrombogenic Property and Neointimal Hyperplasia of Rabbit Jugular Vein Grafts by Adenovirus-Mediated Gene Transfer of C-Type Natriuretic Peptide

Background— Vein graft disease limits the late results of coronary revascularization. C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) inhibits the growth of vascular smooth muscle cells. Given the effects of CNP on cGMP cascade, we hypothesized that transfected CNP genes modulate endothelial repair and thrombogenicity in the vein graft. Methods and Results— Autologous rabbit jugular vein grafts were incubated ex vivo in a solution of adenovirus vectors containing CNP gene (Ad.CNP) or Escherichia coli lac Z gene (Ad.LacZ) and then interposed in the carotid artery. Reendothelialization, mural thrombi formation, and intima/media ratio were evaluated on the 14th and 28th postoperative days. More reendothelialization was seen in Ad.CNP-infected grafts than in Ad.LacZ-infected grafts both at 14 days (0.81±0.05 versus 0.30±0.14, P<0.01) and at 28 days (0.96±0.01 versus 0.45±0.08, P<0.001). The mural thrombus area was smaller in Ad.CNP-infected grafts than in Ad.LacZ-infected grafts. Neointimal thickening was significantly supp...