Different migration of vascular smooth muscle cells from human coronary artery bypass vessels. Role of Rho/ROCK pathway.

Background: We examined whether vascular smooth muscle (VSMC) or endothelial cell (EC) migration from internal mammary artery (MA) differed from VSMC or EC migration from saphenous vein (SV).

Methods And Results: Migration to PDGF-BB (1-10 ng/ml) was lower in VSMC from MA than SV; however, attachment, movement without chemokine, and chemokinesis were identical. Unlike VSMC, migration of EC was similar in response to several mediators.

Different vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis in the human internal mammary artery and the saphenous vein. Implications for bypass graft disease.

Background: The remarkable patency of internal mammary artery (MA) grafts compared to saphenous vein (SV) grafts has been related to different biological properties of the two blood vessels. We examined whether proliferation and apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from human coronary artery bypass vessels differ according to patency rates.

Methods And Results: Proliferation rates to serum or platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB were lower in VSMC from MA than SV.

Absence of histamine-induced nitric oxide release in the human radial artery: implications for vasospasm of coronary artery bypass vessels.

Radial artery (RA) bypass grafts can develop severe vasospasm. As histamine is known to induce vasospasm, its effect on RA was assessed compared with the classic bypass vessels internal mammary artery (MA) and saphenous vein (SV). The vessels were examined in organ chambers for isometric tension recording.

Different cell cycle regulation of vascular smooth muscle in genetic hypertension.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) proliferate faster than those from Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). Therefore regulation of cell cycle progression was examined in VSMC from both strains. Analysis of G1 progression was performed in VSMC synchronized by serum starvation.