Suppression of neointimal smooth muscle cell accumulation in vivo by antisense cdc2 and cdk2 oligonucleotides in rat carotid artery

Deendothelializing balloon injury of rat carotid artery results in progressive intimal smooth muscle cell accumulation and luminal stenosis over 14 days after injury. We have found transient rises (approximately 3-fold maximal increases over the uninjured control value) of the kinase activities of both cdc2 and cdk2, key molecules for cell cycle progression, in the injured carotid artery along with the development of intimal proliferation. The topical application of the antisense, but not the sense, cdc2 and cdk2 phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotides dissolved in F127 pluronic gel around the freshly injured artery resulted in reductions of the intimal smooth muscle cell accumulation by 47 % and 55 % respectively, as estimated by an intimal to medial cross-sectional area ratio, with concomitant decreases in cdc2 and cdk2 kinase activities. These results indicate that both cdc2 and cdk2 kinases are involved in intimal smooth muscle cell accumulation after balloon angioplasty and suggest a potential usefulness of the antisense cdc2 and cdk2 oligonucleotide therapy for arterial stenosis.