1: Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2000 Dec 20;279(2):646-52. 

YC-1, a benzyl indazole derivative, stimulates vascular cGMP and inhibits
neointima formation.

Tulis DA, Durante W, Peyton KJ, Chapman GB, Evans AJ, Schafer AI.

Department of Medicine, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, Texas, 77030,
USA.

The pathobiologic process of arterial stenosis following balloon angioplasty
continues to be an enigmatic problem in clinical settings. This research project
investigates the ability of YC-1, a benzyl indazole derivative that sensitizes
sGC/cGMP, to stimulate endogenous cGMP and attenuate balloon injury-induced
neointima (NI) formation in the rat carotid artery. Northern and Western blot
analyses revealed enhanced acute expression of iNOS and inducible heme oxygenase
(HO-1) mRNA and protein in the injured artery. The contralateral uninjured
artery also demonstrated acute HO-1 mRNA and protein induction without
detectable iNOS expression. Perivascular application of YC-1 immediately
following injury significantly stimulated acute vessel wall cGMP compared to
untreated controls. YC-1 treated sections demonstrated significant reduction in
NI area (-74%), NI area/medial wall area (-72%), and NI thickness (-76%) 2 weeks
post-injury. These results directly implicate YC-1 as a potent new therapeutic
agent capable of reducing post-angioplasty stenosis through endogenous CO-
and/or NO-mediated, cGMP-dependent processes. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

PMID: 11118339 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]