Objective: To study the mechanism of monocyte recruitment in atherogenesis and to clarify the effect of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in this process.
Methods: Femoral arteries isolated from the rabbits which had been fed with a high cholesterol diet and locally perfused with MM-LDL within the artery beforehand, were used as the models. Antisense MCP-1cDNA was transferred into the arterial wall by injecting recombinant LNCX-anti-MCP-1/liposomal complex in the femoral sheath and the periarterial tissue.
Results: Expression of antisense MCP-1 mediated by recombinant LNCX plasmid/lipsomal complex gene transfer enabled to inhibit MCP-1 gene expression and adhesion of monocyte to the intima.
Conclusion: MCP-1 plays an important role on the recruitment of monocytes in the arterial wall, which provides a potential clue in developing a gene therapy project for the prevention and treatment of atherogenesis.