Jugular veins from New Zealand-White rabbits were incubated for 30 min ex vivo with 1 × 1010 PFU/mL of an adenoviral vector encoding COX-1 (AdCOX-1; n = 10) or empty control (n = 10) and grafted to the carotid arteries. The rabbits were placed on a high-cholesterol diet for 4 w, and blood flow and histomorphometry of the grafts were assessed.
In the AdCOX-1 group, blood flow was significantly increased (16.0 ± 3.3 versus 12.5 ± 3.3 mL/min; P < 0.05) compared with controls, and luminal area (8.9 ± 1.4 versus 5.3 ± 1.2 mm2; P < 0.01) and outer circumference were larger. In six identically treated rabbits, graft PGI2 and cAMP synthesis was increased at 72 h in AdCOX-1 compared with controls.
Our data suggest a 30-min ex vivo exposure of vein grafts to AdCOX-1 increased local synthesis of PGI2 and cAMP after graft surgery and resulted in better graft lumen and blood flow at 4 w.