INFLUENCE OF LOSARTAN, AN ANGIOTENSIN RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST, ON NEOINTIMAL PROLIFERATION IN CULTURED HUMAN SAPHENOUS-VEIN

An organ culture of human saphenous vein was used as a model vein graf t intimal hyperplasia and the potential of Losartan, an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, to inhibit neointimal proliferation was investig ated. Median (range) neointimal thickness was reduced from 17 (16-19) to 11 (8-18) mu m in veins cultured with Losartan (median difference 5 (95 per cent confidence interval 2-8) mu m). A similar decrease in th e median neointimal proliferation index was seen from 21 (range 14-47) to 15 (range 5-31) per cent (median difference 8 per cent (95 per cen t confidence interval 5-11 per cent)). These results demonstrate that angiotensin II receptor antagonists may be of therapeutic value for th e modulation of vein graft intimal hyperplasia.