Effect of a single bolus of intracoronary basic fibroblast growth factor on perfusion in an ischemic porcine model

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) has been shown to induce angiogenesis in various animal models, but the methods of administration used experimen tally are not clinically feasible. The objective of this study was to deter mine whether a single intracoronary bolus injection of bFGF would improve c oronary perfusion in a porcine ischemic model that mimics clinical chronic ischemia. A copper coil studded with gold was delivered into the proximal r ight coronary artery of juvenile Yorkshire pigs and deployed by interventio nal techniques. After a four-week interval for stenosis maturation, bFGF (1 00 mu g) was administered by bolus injection into the left coronary artery in five animals, and vehicle alone was administered in four animals. Angiog enesis and change in right coronary perfusion area were assessed two weeks later by angiography, myocardial contrast echocardiography and immunohistoc hemistry. The right coronary perfusion area increased significantly after t reatment in all but one of the animals that received bFGF but not in any of the controls. Intimal hyperplasia was not induced by bFGF. Capillary densi ty determined histochemically was not different in the two groups. In concl usion, in a porcine ischemic model, bFGF administered by a single bolus int racoronary injection into the contralateral artery improved antegrade perfu sion into the ischemic territory although without histological evidence of angiogenesis. This preliminary work merits further investigation.