In–Vitro model for evaluation of the effects of supercooling and re-warming on vascular cells

Abstract

Peripheral vascular disease can be treated by transluminal balloon angioplasty when lesions are favorable. However, the initial technical success rates are complicated by restenosis in which both endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells play a critical role. Cryoplasty, a novel form of treatment combining dilatational forces with the delivery of cold temperature to the vessel wall, has been shown to reduce the rate of restenosis. However, the underlying mechanism and the cellular response to supercooling are still poorly understood. In this study, an in vitro model was developed to examine the effect of supercooling and re-warming on cultured endothelial cell survival. Our results demonstrate that apoptosis of endothelial cells, expressed as the percentage of TUNEL-positive cells, was induced by cooling and increased during the re-warming phase.