Lewis rat aortic allografts were transplanted into Brown-Norway recipient rats. Recipients received 0.5, 1, 2, and 5 mg/kg of Cordyceps sinensis extracts聽(or control saline) daily via intragastric injection聽for 60 d. Grafts were harvested 60 d post-transplantation and intimal thickness determined microscopically following hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) staining and abdominal aorta protein profiles determined by Western blot analysis. Cellular localization was assessed by histology and immunohistochemistry and the serum analyzed for tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-伪) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
C. sinensis administration resulted in a significant reduction in neointimal formation (neointimal thickness 8.27 卤 1.95 渭m [0.5 mg/kg], 3.69 卤 1.43 渭m [1 mg/kg], 3.69 卤 1.43 渭m [1 mg/kg], 3.69 卤 1.43 渭m [1聽mg/kg] versus 11.42 卤 2.67 渭m [control]) and in the proliferative activity of vascular smooth muscle cells. In addition, localized expression of TNF-伪 and ICAM-1 in transplant aortas was characterized by immunohistochemistry and immunoblot analyses demonstrating that C. sinensis treatment significantly reduced TNF-伪 and ICAM-1 levels compared with levels observed in controls (P < 0.05). Serum TNF-伪 and ICAM-1 levels were significantly reduced in C. sinensis-treated animals compared with controls (P < 0.05).
C. sinensis treatment effectively reduced the formation of transplant arteriosclerosis in a rat aortic transplant model.