Thalidomide Attenuates Graft Arteriosclerosis of Aortic Transplant in a Rat Model

Objective. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of thalidomide on graft arteriosclerosis. Materials and Methods. Male Lewis rats received abdominal aorta grafts from male Brown-Norway rats. The animals were divided into 4 groups: no treatment controls, a low-dose group that received thalidomide (50 mg/kg per day), a middle dose group that received thalidomide (100 mg/kg per day), and a high-dose group that received thalidomide (200 mg/kg per day) by daily intragastric administration. Rats were humanely killed at 60 days after surgery. The grafted aortas were analyzed by histology, immunohistochemistry, and Western blot analysis. The serum was analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results. The neointimal thickness of the thalidomide treated aortas was significantly thinner compared with that of no treatment aortas (P < .05). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor, and intracellular adhesian molecule (ICAM-1) protein expression in the treatment group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < .05). Moreover, thalidomide significantly inhibited the production of VEGF and ICAM-1 in serum (P < .05). Conclusion. Our data suggested that thalidomide can attenuate graft arteriosclerosis so as to protect aortic grafts.