Innovative erythrocyte-based carriers for gene delivery in porcine vascular smooth muscle cells: basis for local therapy to prevent restenosis.

Innovative erythrocyte-based carriers for gene delivery in porcine vascular smooth muscle cells: basis for local therapy to prevent restenosis. Cardiovasc Hematol Disord Drug Targets. 2012 Sep;12(1):68-75 Authors: Lande C, Cecchettini A, Tedeschi L, Taranta M, Naldi I, Citti L, Trivella MG, Grimaldi S, Cinti C Abstract Vascular restenosis is affecting 30-40% of patients treated by percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PTCA). The advent of stenting reduced but not abolished restenosis. The introduction of drug eluting stent (DES) further reduced restenosis, but impaired endothelization exposed to intracoronary thrombosis as late adverse event. It is widely accepted that the endothelial denudation and coronary wall damages expose Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells (VSMC) to multiple growth factors and plasma circulating agents thus activating migration and proliferative pathways leading to restenosis. Among the major players of this processes, phosphorylated Elk-1, forming the Elk-1/SRF transcription complex, controls the expression of a different set of genes responsible for cell proliferation. Therefore, it is feasible that gene-specific oligonucleotide therapy targeting VSMC migration and proliferation genes can be a promising therapeutic approach. While a plethora of vehicles is suitably working in static in vitro cultures, methods for in vivo delivery of oligonucleotides are still under investigation. Recently, we have patented a novel ery...
Source: Cardiovascular and Hematological Disorders Drug Targets - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Cardiovasc Hematol Disord Drug Targets Source Type: research