Annals of vascular surgery
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Rapamycin-loaded nanoparticles for inhibition of neointimal hyperplasia in experimental vein grafts.
Nanoparticles (NPs) possess several advantages as a carrier system for intracellular delivery of therapeutic agents. Rapamycin is an immunosuppressive agent which also exhibits marked antiproliferative properties. We investigated whether rapamycin-loaded NPs can reduce neointima formation of vein graft disease in a rat model. ⋯ We conclude that sustained-release rapamycin from rapamycin-loaded NPs inhibits vein graft thickening without affecting the endothelial cells in rat carotid vein-to-artery interposition grafts; thus, this may be a promising therapy for the treatment of vein graft disease.