Immunofluorescence of Ho-1 on stented arteries following 24 weeks. Ho-1 immunostaining (red) of group A (A) and group B (B) stented region and autofluorescence on tunica media (green) were also shown. Great expression of positive labeling with Ho-1 was detected on the rapamycin-eluting Audio & video cable tie stented vessels. The double arrow illustrates tunica media. Group B showed that substantial neointimal hyperplasia (Scale bar = 150 μm).
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Calponin immunostaining (red) of group A and group B was shown. Less degree of positive labeling with calponin was shown on group B after 24 weeks. The double arrow also depicts tunica media. (Scale bar = 150 μm).
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Quantitative analysis of Hol 1 and calponin content of arteries in groups A and B at week 24.
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Six months after the deployment of the fabricated stents, no migration of the implanted stents was observed. In addition, studies using trans-abdominal vascular ultrasound and angiography showed that the stents were all patent in the test rabbits (Supplemental Video).

Endothelial function was assessed following 28 days of stent deployment, and the response of an endothelia-dependent vasodilatation to Ach was significantly stronger in the rabbits that received Audio & video cable-tie DES than in those in group C (post hoc p < 0.001). The cable-tie rapamycin-eluting biodegradable stents also exhibited a comparable vasodilatory response to the control group (non-injured vessels) (post hoc p = 0.241 and 0.902 with Ach 0.05 and 0.5 μg/min/kg infusion, respectively) (Fig. 14).

Figure 14