Carvedilol for prevention of restenosis after directional coronary atherectomy : final results of the European carvedilol atherectomy restenosis (EUROCARE) trial

BACKGROUND: In addition to its known properties as a competitive, nonselective beta and alpha-1 receptor blocker, carvedilol directly inhibits vascular myocyte migration and proliferation and exerts antioxidant effects that are considerably greater than those of vitamin E or probucol. This provides the basis for an evaluation of carvedilol for the prevention of coronary restenosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 25 mg of carvedilol was given twice daily, starting 24 h

Enhanced accumulation of the isoprostane, 8-epi-PGF2a, in human aortic and pulmonary valves of patients with coronary heart disease

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the isoprostane 8-epi-PGF2a differently accumulates in semilunar valves of patients suffering from coronary heart disease (CHD, n=19) as compared to valves from healthy heart donors (controls, n=6). Sections from isolated aortic and pulmonary valves were analyzed by semiquantitative immunohistochemistry. The 8-epi-PGF2a-content was determined by using a specific radioimmunoassay. The accumulation of 8-epi-PGF2a in both valves was higher in CHD-patients in comparison to controls (Aortic valves: 36.49±11.26 % vs. 15.78±3.04 %; pulmonary valves: 46.79±9.80 % vs. 14.99±3.57 %). The results from the radioimmunoassay revealed comparable findings in both groups (CHD vs. controls: 395.95±86.09 vs. 139.50±47.46 pg/mg protein in the aortic valves and 430.47±76.30 vs. 147.33±53.84 pg/mg protein in pulmonary valves). Pulmonary valves seem to be more susceptible to oxidative stress than aortic valves as evidenced by a higher accumulation of 8-epi-PGF2a in CHD patients. Considering the data presented in this study, we suggest that 8-epi-PGF2a is a valuable indicator of oxidative injury in human semilunar valv