Abstract: AIM: To find a new way for the treatment of restenosis after coronary artery inserted stent, the effect of p21 gene transfection in human arterial smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) was investigated and its antagonistic effect of restenosis after coronary artery inserted stent was studied. METHODS: P21 gene was transfected into HASMC via Lipofectamine 2000 liposomes and the expression of its encoded protein in HASMCs was detected by immunohistochemistry. The effects of p21 gene transfection on the growth, proliferation and apoptosis of HASMCs were described by cell growth curves, the WST-1 assay and flow cytometry (FCM) analysis respectively. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical result indicated that the protein encoded by p21 gene was highly expressed in the cytoblast of HASMCs. The expression of p21 gene significantly inhibited the growth and proliferation of HASMC and remarkably promoted its apoptosis. Compared with the control group, the difference was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that the encoded protein of the p21 gene transfected into HASMCs may be involved in inhibiting cell growth and inducing apoptosis, suggesting that the technology of p21 gene transfected into HASMCs can be a new strategy to prevent and treat restenosis after coronary artery inserted stent.

Key words: p21 gene, transfection, HASMC, apoptosis