Expression of apoptosis in human saphenous vein grafts in restoration of blood flow through coronary bypass surgery

• Autor(a) principal: Tirapelli,Luís Fernando
• Data de Publicação: 2009
• Outros Autores: Tirapelli,Daniela Pretti da Cunha, Dalio,Marcelo Bellini, Rodrigues,Alfredo José, Évora,Paulo Roberto Barbosa
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Brazilian Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-76382009000400009
• topic: Apoptosis; Cardiac surgical procedures; Saphenous vein

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible role of apoptosis on brief distensions of human saphenous veins at different pressures. METHODS: Fresh isolated grafts of human saphenous vein were assigned as control or distended (D) for fifteen seconds at 100, 200 and 300 mmHg. The degree of apoptotic caspases 3, 8, 9 and anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 expression were assessed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Fresh isolated segments of distended human saphenous veins presented similar apoptotic protein expression when compared with control veins. However, the Bcl-2 expression was significantly higher in the 300 mmHg distended segments compared with the control vein. CONCLUSION: These findings show that intact segments of human saphenous veins submitted to distensions at different pressures have similar apoptotic proteins expression when compared with non-distended control veins. Therefore, brief distensions commonly performed during surgical harvesting do not trigger apoptosis, and probably are not involved on the physiopathological mechanisms that lead to graft failure