MAINTENANCE OF SMOOTH MUSCLE INTEGRITY BY MORPHOGENIC PROTEINS

摘要

Disclosed are compositions and methods for maintaining the integrity of smooth muscle, particularly vascular smooth muscle. Vascular diseases are characterized by an excessive build-up of vascular smooth muscle cells, resulting in an occlusion of a blood vessel, and/or by loss of elasticity in the blood vessels. Causes of blood vessel occlusion include smooth muscle cell proliferation and inflammatory responses. Inhibition of the proliferation of smooth muscle cells or inflammatory responses represents an effective treatment for vascular disorders, such as atherosclerosis and restenosis. Treatment may include administration of a morphogenic protein. The protein itself may be delivered to the site of vascular occlusion or the protein may be delivered by a vector, such as an adenoviral vector containing a DNA insert encoding a morphogenic protein. Such compositions and methods may also inhibit the responses of smooth muscle cells to various traumas, such as exposure to toxic agents. All of these treatmetns operate to preserve the cell phenotype by inhibiting an increase in extracellular matrix proteins, such as collagen, or by maintaining the normal balance of extracellular matrix proteins, such as Types I and III collagen.