Smooth Muscle Cell Mitogen Production By Endothelial Cells In The Lumens Of Healing Synthetic Vascular Prostheses: A Possible Role In Healing

Abstract

Media was conditioned by culturing endothelial or medial smooth muscle cells in DME-F12 or by time-course perfusions of segments of aorta, synthetic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) arterial grafts with an intact endothelium, and deendothelialized FIFE grafts. These conditioned media samples were used as culture media for quiescent medial smooth muscle cells. Mitogenesis assays were conducted using radioactive thymidine labeling to test each medium for its ability to stimulate the quiescent smooth muscle cells to enter the S phase from the G^Gq phase. Ratios of the thymidine incorporation of cells cultured in conditioned media to those of the negative control, which £ lacked mitogens, indicated that healing synthetic grafts with an intact endothelium produced greater levels of mitogens than did undamaged aortas. Attempts, using antibodies to Platelet Derived Growth Factor, a known smooth muscle cell mitogen, to test whether the mitogens produced in the grafts was PDGF indicated that further purification of the antibodies was needed. The possible relationship between mitogen production in arteries and healing synthetic grafts is discussed.