Effects of the different-sized external stents on vein graft intimal hyperplasia and inflammation

作者：Qi Yang, Dong Lei, Shixing Huang, Yi Yang, Yang Yang, Xiaofeng Ye, Zhengwei You, Qiang Zhao · 发表于：Annals of Translational Medicine · 年份：2020 · DOI：10.21037/atm.2020.01.16 · 被引用次数：17 · 研究领域：Cardiac and Coronary Surgery Techniques、Coronary Interventions and Diagnostics、Electrospun Nanofibers in Biomedical Applications

BACKGROUND: The poor long-term patency ratio of vein grafts prevents patients from benefiting from coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). It is reported that external venous stents have notably improved the patency ratio of stented vein grafts in animal models. The most crucial influence on stented grafts' fate is the size of the stents. This study aims to investigate the effects on intimal hyperplasia and inflammation of vein graft by using different sizes of stents and explore the potential mechanism. METHODS: Two different sizes of external stents were fabricated through 3D printing technology. Male SD rats were divided into three groups. In the control group rat's autologous left jugular vein was grafted on the ipsilateral artery directly. In the stent groups, grafts were surrounded by two different-sized stents before anastomosing with arteries. The patency ratio and diameter of the grafts were examined by ultrasound. Masson staining was used to characterize intimal hyperplasia. The expression of inflammatory factors was detected by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, TUNEL staining was used to label apoptotic cells. RESULTS: The two sizes of external stents were fabricated by 3D printing technology. In the control group, the intima area and wall thickness dramatically increased 8 weeks after implantation. While in the stent groups, these data only slightly increased, especially in the 1.5 mm-stent group. The expressions of inflammatory factors in TNF signaling were mo...