Intimal thickening after arterial balloon injury is increased by intermittent repetitive hypoxia, but intermittent repetitive hyperoxia is not protective.

Hypoxia increases and hyperoxia decreases experimental atherosclerosis, but it is unclear if repetitive hypoxic and hyperoxic insults affect intimal thickening after arterial injury. Rabbits on 2% cholesterol diet for 6 weeks underwent balloon injury to the abdominal aorta (AA) after week 3, and were then exposed to normoxia (n = 6), or 12 h daily of intermittent repetitive hypoxia (n = 6) or hyperoxia (n = 6). After week 6, damaged AA and undamaged thoracic aorta (TA) were assessed for intimal thickening and lipid content.

Processes involved in the site-specific effect of probucol on atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E gene knockout mice.

Objective: To elucidate processes by which the antioxidant probucol increases lesion size at the aortic sinus and decreases atherosclerosis at more distal sites in apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE(-/-)) mice.

Methods And Results: Male apoE(-/-) mice were fed high-fat chow with 1% (w/w) probucol or without (controls) for 6 months, before aortic sinus, arch, and descending aorta were analyzed separately for lesion size and composition. Compared with control, probucol significantly increased lesion size by 33% at the sinus, but it inhibited atherosclerosis at the descending aorta by 94%.

Probucol promotes functional reendothelialization in balloon-injured rabbit aortas.

Background: Probucol remains the only conventional drug that reduces restenosis after coronary angioplasty. Apart from its weak cholesterol-lowering effect, probucol has antioxidant properties, but it remains unclear how this drug inhibits restenosis.

Methods And Results: Aortic balloon-injured New Zealand White rabbits were fed 2% (wt/wt) cholesterol-enriched or normal chow, with 0.