Abstract
BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Many patients with CAD require mechanical revascularization. However, restenosis after minimally invasive interventions is a major problem for these patients. Fortunately, the controlled drug delivery properties of drug-eluting stents seem to be able to overcome this problem. In this study, the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of Atlas Drug-eluting Coronary Stents coated with poly (lactic acid-coglycolic acid) (PLGA) were evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 20 non-atherosclerotic female sheep divided into 4 groups that included 4 study and 1 control animal randomly assigned to each group. Animals in the study groups were stented with Atlas Drug-eluting Coronary Stents, and the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties were evaluated. RESULTS: Sirolimus was shown to have a statistically important effect on the vascular endothelium. With time, the decrease in sirolimus in blood samples was statistically significant. Two animals died after implantation; however no clinically significant side effects were observed in the others. CONCLUSIONS: The results in this study showed a significant reduction in neointimal hyperplasia after experimental implantation of Atlas Drug-eluting Coronary Stents coated with PLGA polymer. Pharmacokinetic studies also showed that the stent did not release a significant amount of sirolimus after 28 days.