Effects of rosiglitazone on expression of adiponectin and intimal proliferation after balloon endothelial denudation of iliac artery in rabbits

AIM: To study the effects of rosiglitazone on the expression of adiponectin and intimal proliferation after balloon endothelial denudation in rabbits and to explore the mechanism of rosiglitazone in preventing restenosis. METHODS: Thirty male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into control group (normal diet), model group (hypercholesterol diet plus balloon endothelial denudation) and rosiglitazone group (balloon endothelial denudation plus hypercholesterol diet supplemented with rosiglitazone). Serum lipids and adiponectin levels were measured at 1 week and 4 weeks after balloon endothelial injury. Local iliac arteries were sectioned for the analysis of pathological morphology and were stained for PCNA immunohistochemistrical analysis. RESULTS: Hypercholesterolemia was successfully induced. After rosiglitazone intervention, significant difference was found in the levels of serum TC, TG and LDL-C between model and rosiglitazone groups (P<0.01). Compared with those in the model group, expression of PCNA in rosiglitazone group was significantly lowered and expression of adiponectin significantly increased (P<0.05). These changes were more significant by the end of the 4th week after balloon endothelial denudation. CONCLUSION: Rosiglitazone efficiently inhibits intimal proliferation during restenosis after balloon injury, which may be related to the increasing expression of adiponectin.