Increased secretion of gelatinases A and B from the aortas of cholesterol fed rabbits: relationship to lesion severity

Abstract Basement membrane degrading metalloproteinases (gelatinases) have been implicated in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell migration and proliferation in culture and during neointima formation in vivo. We compared the expression and activation of gelatinases A and B in explants derived from the arch, mid and distal portions of thoracic aortas of normal rabbits and those given a 1% cholesterol-containing diet for 8 weeks. Neointimal/medial ratio was less than 0.01 in normal rabbits but was significantly increased by cholesterol feeding in the arch (1.08±0.26), mid (0.75±0.28) and distal (0.32±0.12) portions of the aorta (mean±S.E.M., n =6), and to a significantly ( P n =6, each P P P P P