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(Circulation. 1999;100:e109.)
© 1999 American Heart Association, Inc.

Circulation Electronic Pages

Angiogenesis for Treatment of Ischemic Heart Disease: Should We Worry About Progression of Atherosclerosis?

Issam Moussa, MD; Jeffrey W. Moses, MD

Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY

	Introduction

 
To the Editor:

The data presented by Losordo and colleagues¹ concerning direct myocardial gene transfer of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have significant clinical implications and add further support to the concept of using growth factors to stimulate neovascularization in patients with ischemic heart disease. The question that emerges at this stage of progress is whether we should be concerned about the possibility that these growth factors may accelerate the progression of atherosclerosis. This concern is based on the following:

1. In the absence of atherosclerosis, adult coronary arteries are normally devoid of a microvasculature except for a scant plexus of vasa vasorum in the adventitia and outer media.²

2. The formation of new microvessels in human atherosclerotic plaque is associated with high cellular proliferative activity in the plaque.³

3. The endothelial cells of intraplaque microvessels in advanced atherosclerotic lesions have a high level of VEGF expression. Furthermore, more intense VEGF expression was noted in totally occlusive lesions with extensive neovascularization.⁴

4. The relationship between vascular growth factors and atherosclerosis progression or neointimal hyperplasia does not appear to be unique to VEGF. A recent study suggest that bFGF (basic fibroblast growth factor) may incite aggressive vascular neointimal proliferation in ovariectomized female sheep.⁵

To investigate this possibility, planned clinical trials should include a quantitative assessment of atherosclerotic plaque volume by intravascular ultrasound to monitor the degree of progression of atherosclerosis, and the sample size of these trials should be sufficient to statistically establish that the growth factor tested does not increase . . . [Full Text of this Article]