The effects of Batroxobin on the intimal hyperplasia of graft veins

BACKGROUND: To investigate the effects of Batroxobin (BX) on the intimal hyperplasia of graft veins. METHODS: Twenty dogs were evenly divided into 2 groups. The femoral veins were grafted into the femoral artery by microsurgery, and the experimental group was treated with BX (0.1 BU/kg/48 hours). The serum level of endothelin-1 (ET-1) was detected 2 weeks after operation. Computer image analysis system was performed to calculate the cross-sectional area of neointima and media in the vein grafts 8 weeks after operation. Immunohistochemistry method was performed to identify proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and c-Myc. RESULTS: The experimental group had a lower level of serum ET-1 than the control group (P < .01), and both intimal hyperplasia and media thickness of graft veins were reduced by BX in comparison with the control group (P < .05). C-Myc expression was higher in the control group than in the experimental group (P < .01). The PCNA expression in the experimental group was significantly lower than the control group (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggested that BX could inhibit intimal hyperplasia through suppressing cell proliferation activity. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.