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.