Vein graft stenosis and the heparin responsiveness of human vascular smooth muscle cells

Background: Vascular smooth muscle cell (VMSC) proliferation is an essential component of myointimal hyperplasia, which is implicated in the failure of 30% to 50% of vascular interventions, such as coronary angioplasty and peripheral vein grafting. We have shown that cells derived from stenotic lesions in infrainguinal vein grafts were significantly more resistant than controls to growth inhibition by heparin. - Methods and Results: In a prospective study, we correlated antiproliferative responses to heparin in vitro with graft patency after 1 year. Sixty-two patients with infrainguinal vein grafts were entered into a graft surveillance program for ≥1 year. At operation, saphenous vein segments were explanted for VSMC culture. Cell proliferation in response to fetal calf serum was later determined in the presence and absence of heparin. In 35 cell cultures, including 13 from the above-mentioned patients, [3H]heparin binding was also estimated. VSMCs from patients with patent grafts were significantly more sensitive to growth inhibition by heparin than cells from patients with stenoses (median, 54% versus 20.9%, P<0.001), and [3H]heparin binding was strongly correlated with inhibition of proliferation (r=0.81). - Conclusions: Responsiveness to heparin in cultured VSMCs is a strong predictor of outcome for infrainguinal vein grafts, and reduced sensitivity to heparin is correlated with decreased heparin binding. Relative resistance to the antiproliferative action of heparin may be a marker for aberrant regulation of VSMC growth.