ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Previous studies of grafts implanted in dogs documented a time-dependent increase in platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) production that correlated with inner-capsule thickness. The purpose of this study was to identify the cells in vascular grafts that produce PDGF. METHODS: Dacron thoracoabdominal grafts were seeded with autologous endothelial cells (ECs), implanted in 11 beagles, and removed after 4 or 20 weeks. ECs and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were cultured from grafts and adjacent aorta, and PDGF in the conditioned media was measured by radioreceptor assay. The PDGF A-chain mRNA level in freshly harvested cells was assessed using reverse transcriptase, followed by polymerase chain reaction, and expressed as a ratio of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase signal. Localization of PDGF A-chain and B-chain protein was also examined with immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS: Graft and aortic ECs in primary culture did not produce significantly different amounts of PDGF in 72 hours, averaging 368 +/- 160 and 340 +/- 81 pg/microgram DNA, respectively. Graft SMCs in primary culture produced significantly more PDGF than aortic SMCs (584 +/- 343 and 113 +/- 94 pg/microgram DNA, respectively; p < 0.01). Graft SMC PDGF secretion remained greater than aortic SMC PDGF secretion through at least six cell passages. PDGF A-chain mRNA levels were not significantly different for aortic or graft ECs. The PDGF A-chain mRNA level was significantly higher for graft SMCs than aortic SMCs (2.44 +/- 0.67 and 1.45 +/- 0.57 pg/microgram, respectively; p < 0.03). Immunocytochemical analysis detected PDGF A-chain and B-chain protein in the ECs from both native aorta and graft as well as the subendothelial SMCs in the graft, but not in the SMCs of the native aorta. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that graft SMCs are functionally altered, producing more PDGF than aortic SMCs. PDGF produced by graft SMCs may contribute to the development of intimal hyperplasia.