Application of galangin, an active component of Alpinia officinarum Hance (Zingiberaceae), for use in drug-eluting stents

In clinical pathology, stent interposition is used to treat vascular disease but can lead to restenosis. Drug-eluting stents (DES) are most commonly used to suppress restenosis but can also have side effects. Therefore, we investigated the anti-proliferative effect and its possible target in vitro and in vivo . We found that Alpinia officinarum Hance (AO) extract efficiently inhibited VSMC proliferation by arresting the transition from the G 0 /G 1 to the S phase via the up-regulation of p27 KIP1 expression. Galangin (GA) was determined to be a significant component of this extract, with the same anti-proliferative activity as the raw extract. Immunoblotting and immunofluorescence staining showed that both the AO extract and GA targeted the up-regulation of p27 KIP1 expression. Therefore, we next examined the effect of these compounds in a cuff-injured neointimal hyperplasia model in vivo . In this animal model, both the AO extract and GA completely suppressed the neointima formation, and this inhibitory effect was also demonstrated to target the up-regulation of p27 KIP1 , including the suppression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression. Our findings indicate that AO extract and GA have a potent anti-proliferative activity, targeting the up-regulation of p27 expression. Thus, GA may represent an alternative medicine for use in DES.