Resident Arterial Cells and Circulating Bone Marrow-Derived Cells both Contribute to Intimal Hyperplasia in a Rat Allograft Carotid Transplantation Model.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Neointimal formation following vascular injury remains a major mechanism of restenosis, whereas the precise sources of neointimal cells are still uncertain. We tested the hypothesis that both injured arterial cells and non-arterial cells contribute to intimal hyperplasia.

METHODS: Following allograft transplantation of the balloon-injured carotid common artery (n = 3-6), the cellular composition of the transplant grafts and the origins of neointimal cells were measured by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining.

RESULTS: Smooth muscle actin (SMA)-positive and CD68-positive cells were clearly observed 14 days later in the neointima after allograft transplantation of the balloon-injured carotid common artery, where re-endothelialization was not yet complete. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) and wild-type (WT) allograft transplantation revealed that the majority of the neointima cells were apparently from the recipient (≈85%) versus the donor (≈15%). Both monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1)/CCR2 and stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1)/CXCR4 signaling were involved in intimal hyperplasia, with bone marrow-derived cells also playing a role.

CONCLUSION: These data support the hypothesis that intimal hyperplasia could develop in our novel rat allograft transplantation model of arterial injury, where neointima is attributable not only to local arterial cells but also non-arterial cells including the bone marrow.