Effect of treatment of jugular vein graft with glutaraldehyde on intimal hyperplasia in rabbits

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect of treatment of jugular vein graft with glutaraldehyde on intimal hyperplasia in rabbits. Methods Sixty New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into experimental group and the control group. Before the anastomosis, the vein in the experimental group was soaked in 1% glutaraldehyde solution for 10 min, and that in control group in normal saline for 10 min. The vein graft was harvested after 4 and 12 weeks. HE staining, smooth muscle cell α-actin and proliferating cell nuclear antigen ( PCNA ) immunohistochemical staining were performed. Apoptosis was detected by TUNEL. Results Four and 12 weeks after grafting, the number of smooth muscle cells in the experimental group was significantly less than that in the control group, and intima thickness [(0. 016 ±0. 004), (0. 031 ±0. 008) mm]in the experimental group was thinner than in the control group [(0. 025± 0. 005), (0. 093 ± 0. 024 ) mm, ( P 0. 05 ). The apoptosis rate in the experimental group was higher than in the control group [(3. 3 ± 0. 7 ) %, (6. 7 ± 1. 5) % vs ( 1.2 ± 0. 4) %, ( 1.8 ±0. 5 ) %]in 4 and 12 weeks after grafting ( P < 0. 05 ). Conclusion Treatment of vein graft with glutaraldehyde can significantly reduce the number of graft smooth muscle cells and inhibit intimal hyperplasia. Key words: Glutaraldehyde; Vein graft; Intimal hyperplasia; Apoptosis