Antimonocyte chemoattractant protein-1 gene therapy reduces experimental in-stent restenosis in hypercholesterolemic rabbits and monkeys

In-stent restenosis results exclusively from neointimal hyperplasia due to mechanical injury and a foreign body response to the prosthesis. Inflammation mediated by monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) might therefore underlie in-stent restenosis. We recently devised a new strategy for anti-MCP-1 gene therapy by transfecting an N-terminal deletion mutant of the MCP-1 gene into skeletal muscles. We used this strategy to investigate the role of MCP-1 in experimental in-stent restenosis in hypercholesterolemic rabbits and monkeys. Transfection of the mutant MCP-1 gene suppressed monocyte infiltration/activation in the stented arterial wall and markedly reduced the development of neointimal hyperplasia. This strategy also suppressed local expression of MCP-1 and inflammatory cytokines. Therefore, inhibition of MCP-1-mediated inflammation is effective in reducing experimental in-stent restenosis. This strategy might be a useful form of gene therapy against human in-stent restenosis.