Smooth Muscle Cell Migration Promoting Activity of Plasma Predicts Restenosis in Patients with Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease Undergoing Angioplasty

Summary Background Efficacy of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is limited by restenosis occurring in a large proportion of patients. Smooth muscle cell (SMC) migration is a major pathomechanism of restenosis. We studied SMC migration inducing activity of plasma from patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) undergoing PTA. Methods and Results SMC migration was determined in a two-dimensional assay system after addition of 1/25 plasma dilutions. Mean increase in migration area was 65.5 ± 33.8% in normal controls and 67.7 ± 53.2% in patients with PAOD. 6 hours after PTA, plasmatic migration inducing activity was largely unchanged. In 19/30 patients with restenosis (6 months after PTA) migration promoting activity (82.7 ± 60.0) was significantly higher than in 11/30 patients with patent vessels (41.8 ± 21.0; p = 0.03). No correlation of clinical risk factors with outcome was observed. A weak correlation was found between plasmatic migration promoting activity and levels of epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factor-β. Conclusion The capacity of human plasma to stimulate SMC migration in tissue culture can be used to assess the risk for restenosis after PTA in patients with PAOD.