The advantages of an endothelial cell surface on a prosthetic graft may be compromised by endothelial cell production of mitogens for smooth muscle cells. To study platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) production by cells lining prosthetic grafts, 15 beagles underwent placement of 20 to 22 cm long, 8 mm inner diameter, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene thoracoabdominal aortic grafts, of which seven were seeded with autologous jugular vein endothelial cells, and eight were unseeded control grafts. Grafts and adjacent arteries were explanted after 4 weeks, divided into segments, and studied in organ culture. Platelet-derived growth factor production during a 72-hour incubation period was measured by radioreceptor assay. Midgraft segments of seeded grafts produced significantly more PDGF than control grafts, 43 +/- 8 pg/cm2 and 22 +/- 5 pg/cm2, respectively (mean +/- SEM), p < 0.05. Platelet-derived growth factor production correlated directly with endothelial cell coverage on graft segments as measured by scanning electron microscopy (r = 0.63, p = 0.01), and inversely with platelet deposition (r = -0.48, p = 0.07). For all dogs, PDGF production by the distal aorta was significantly greater than that by the proximal aorta, 89 +/- 6 and 17 +/- 4 pg/cm2, respectively (p < 0.0001). These results suggest that endothelial cells on prosthetic vascular grafts are a significant source of PDGF. Furthermore, the higher PDGF production by the distal arteries may offer an explanation for the clinical finding of more severe intimal hyperplasia adjacent to the distal anastomosis.
